The Mandred Chronicles
by Zapenstap
Summary: My first and not very serious attempt at a multichapter story. Mandred knew Heero Yuy when he was a child, knew his real name, his training...but who is he? Philosophy and fantasy blend together to restore the shattered soul of a gundam pilot.
1. Mandred's Claim

mandred This story is a Chronicle and the plot is a little strange. There really isn't much of an action plot and no fantasy until about the 9th chapter, though hints lead up to it. Prior to that, it is a story about Heero's rejuvenation as a person and analysis of his character and real life. Some chapters could even be skipped. This story is also connected to my original work and thus contains some half-explained matter, though it shouldn't interfere with understanding the story at all. I have been told it is good, but perhaps that may be true only to a peculiar taste. At any rate, I appreciate reviews and I hope you like it. 

  
  
  


The Mandred Chronicles 

Mandred's Claim   
  
  


by zapenstap 

  
  
  


Prelude: 

The story of Mandred is an interesting one. His relationship to the Gundam Pilot 01 is more interesting yet, for considering the importance Master Mandred has played throughout the history and in present times, the relationship is not only a strange one, but a clear demonstration to any who had doubts on his character and true loyalties. It was for this relationship that he was finally brought to trial. 

Mandred knew Heero Yuy when he was a child, the only one who knew his real name and the only one who knew his real parents. In addition to this, they share a similar history, though Mandred spoke little on this subject to any who knew him in the relevant setting, referring to it in his peculiar manner only as "an experience time out of mind." The story of Mandred's life will not be told here, though allusions to it may be made. Rather, it is his part in Heero's life that is of particular interest. 

Heero Yuy, an orphan after the death of his immediate family by result of war casualties, was raised from childhood by an assassin. He was later taken in by Dr J and trained to be the pilot of Wing Gundam in a desperate assault strategy against the Earth on behalf of the Colonies and for eventual peace. Heero was taught only enough of life skills to complete this mission, but throughout his struggles regained some of his humanity and formed tentative relationships. After the war, which came to be called the Eve Wars by some and Treize's War by others, Heero Yuy, Gundam Pilot 01, vanished from the scene the day of Relena Darilan's birthday. Following this adventure was the rise and fall of Mariemaia Barton-Kushrenada, in which the combined efforts of the Gundam Pilots and the Preventors held off a second threat of the Earth's destruction. 

By this time, it could be seen that Heero was pulling away from his relations, regressing from his improved state and reverting slowly back to the way he had been at the beginning of the war. It wasn't long before Heero disappeared completely, severing all contact, and was not heard from since by any who knew him well or fought along side him. Of these, Relena Darilan is said to be most concerned, though her life for the next two years was a blur of political reformation, leaving her little time to pursue the whereabouts of Gundam Pilot 01. Rather, it was Duo Maxwell, Gundam Pilot 02, who grew most interested in locating Heero Yuy. After much effort, he managed to do so, but Heero was little pleased with this intervention. Duo perceived his mood to be dark and hostile, full of old demons and distractions. Heero related his desire for seclusion but Duo was persistent in his companionship. He feared Heero's dark emotional state was leading him to a greater depression and self-loathing in which he might resolve take his own life without the aid of war as an excuse. At Duo's insistence, Heero embarked on several trips to both Earth and other colonies to interact with the people he knew, but aside from occasional lapses into good humor, he improved little and his thoughts were directed increasingly inward. 

It was during one of these trips to Earth that the story really begins. Quatre Raerba Winner, Gundam Pilot 04, and Relena Darilan had arranged a conference between them on the excuse of business, and seeing the opportunity, Duo persuaded Heero to travel to Earth in order to see these old friends again. Both Relena and Quatre were acutely conscious of Heero's melancholy and so welcomed both Duo and Heero with all the cheer they could muster in light of their heavy responsibilities. Duo arranged an extended trip, as Quatre would be staying in the Cinq Kingdom Castle for some time. At first, Heero seemed cheered by the companionship, but he spoke little, especially to Relena, and often took long walks in the palace grounds where the others had difficulty finding him. It was during one of these walks, when the others were all in the castle, that something entirely unexpected occurred.   
  


Exerps taken from Mandred's Trial   
Scribes of Sileen, Elneira

  
  


Relena and Quatre looked up from the table as Duo entered, closing the door softly behind him. Relena set down her teacup softly and turned her gaze from the window that looked out over the gardens. She sighed. Sometimes Heero walked in those gardens, but not today. Duo had already been all over the grounds looking for him and he didn't look his usual bright self, so he must not have had any luck 

"Didn't find him, huh, Duo?" Quatre said softly, voicing Relena's thoughts. "Where does he go when he disappears?" 

"I don't know," Duo said with an air of truthfulness, "but I'm worried to tell you the truth." 

_What's wrong, Heero?_ Relena thought to herself silently, turning back to the window sadly. _Why don't you talk to us, to me? We want to help._ But she knew also that there was little or nothing she could do except offer a listening ear and a sympathetic heart, but then, maybe that was all he needed. She could not know when she neither saw him nor spoke to him. He grew hostile when she tried to show her concern, and it didn't help that she loved him beyond all bounds and couldn't reveal it for fear of scaring him away forever. He was lost in darkness and thus so was she. _It has to do with your past, doesn't it? _she thought fretfully. _ I could kill Dr. J, and any of those who hurt you. _ She was the only one who had been told some of Heero's past--even Duo didn't know anything--but avenging Heero's lost childhood was not her place, and as far as she knew, all those people were already dead anyway. She took another sip of her tea, but it tasted stale. 

***** 

The clerk at the front desk in the lobby of the Cinq Kingdom Castle gave a start when a tall, confident stranger entered the building, walking in even-measured strides, his gaze sweeping the room in one all-encompassing glance. Unconsciously, the clerk sat straighter in his chair, for it seemed to him that this was a man of great importance and high acclaim. Yet even looking at his face, the clerk was not so certain, for there seemed to be a lack of self-awareness about him, or rather a lack of pride, for the man certainly seemed aware of who and where he was. The stranger was good looking, though his features were plain, brown hair, brown eyes, and he seemed to be both young and old, at least thirty judging by his face and body, but much older judging by the wisdom reflected in his eyes. As soon as the clerk took notice of him, their eyes met and the clerk was favored with a small smile that, though it showed no teeth, was perhaps the warmest, equalizing smile the clerk had ever received from a stranger. 

"Can I help you, sir?" the clerk asked, standing as he would for an important delegate and then sitting again in some confusion. 

"Is Relena Darilan in?" the stranger inquired politely, approaching the desk easily in a direct, but somewhat distracted manner. 

"Vice Foreign Minister Darilan is at a meeting with Master Quatre Winner, sir," the clerk replied. "But if you have an appointment I can announce your arrival. May I ask your name and business, sir?" 

The stranger regarded him in silence for a moment. "My name is Mandred, but I do not have an appointment. Could you page her anyway?" 

"Last name and business sir?" Teh clerk prompted. 

"Just Mandred, and my business is of a personal nature. I just need to speak with her briefly." 

The clerk fidgeted, but let the question drop. He did not want to refuse, but the request was against policy. "I'm sorry, Master Mandred. Would you like to schedule an appointment for later with Miss Darilan? It's possible she's not yet booked for the day." 

Mandred laughed lightly, mirthfully, not in a mocking way. "Seventeen and possibly not booked? Well, don't bother yourself. I will find where she is on my own." The clerk half opened his mouth to protest, but Mandred continued without pause. "I assure you that she is in no danger. I carry no weapons and mean her no harm. I only wish to speak to Miss Darilan, Mr. Winner and Mr. Maxwell before I continue with my errand here. I am an old acquaintance of an acquaintance of theirs." The clerk watched with mouth agape as Mandred walked past the front desk and climbed the stairs before he sat back down in some confusion. 

As a precaution, he buzzed Sally Po's office. 

"This is Sally. Is there a problem at the front desk?" 

"Miss Po," the clerk stammered. "A stranger by the name of Mandred is wandering about the castle looking for Miss Relena." 

There was a pause at the other end of the line. "All right. Did he seem dangerous?" 

"No, Miss Po. He just, well, I don't really know what to make of him. He just walked in. I..." 

"That's all right. We'll find him." 

So the clerk sat back in his chair. He didn't know why, but he didn't think the Preventors would be able to find this Mandred, whoever he was, and whatever his errand. 

***** 

Duo shut the door to the conference room behind him softly. Quatre and Relena had work to do, even if they didn't _really _have to do it together. He paused out in the hall for a moment. Now would be a great time to find Heero and go do something, if he knew where the guy was. Which he didn't. 

"Duo Maxwell? Gundam Pilot 02?" 

Duo whirled around and stopped with his hand behind his head, grinning, staring up at the broad chest and face of a strange man with soft brown eyes that seemed to latch onto his face and file away everything about him with a mere glance. Duo swallowed. "Yeah, that's me, the God of Death at your service!" 

The man's eyebrows rose, subtle humor dancing across his eyes. "God of Death? Do you really believe that?" 

"Wha..?" Duo said, blinking. What the heck was that supposed to mean? "I don't know. Who are you?" 

The stranger proffered his hand and Duo shook it uncertainly, not really sure why he was being given such a formal introduction. "My name is Mandred," the stranger said with an air of business without losing a personal touch. "I'm here for Heero, but I wished to meet with his friends first." 

Duo pulled his hand away slowly, eyebrows drawing low in puzzlement. He'd heard that name before... He resisted the urge to rap his skull to help him think. "Mandred, eh?" Then it came to him. "Hey! Aren't you that guy who sent that Felicia chick on that diamond heist mission?" She'd been a squirrely sort of person, dragging him into danger after some jewels, handing him over to the enemy and then slipping away with a few off-handed remarks after he rescued himself, with a little help from Hilde. But she had mentioned taking orders from someone named Mandred, and called her missions errands. He hadn't seen her since, or that blonde guy Coran who had been with her the first time they met. So _this_ was Mandred? Duo would have expected someone older, and much more cold. 

Mandred stared at him in mild surprise. "Felicia has done a few favors for me. What do you know about it?" 

Duo's heart raced with the revelation. "Hey, man," Duo said, poking a finger at him. "You got me and that girl in some serious trouble!" 

"You weren't involved. Or you shouldn't have been," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "Felicia can take care of herself. Your interference would only make it harder and more dangerous for her. If I were you, I wouldn't admit to being there." 

Duo opened his mouth again, but nothing came out. Mandred smiled at him, amusement in his eyes. "Relena is in this room?" 

"Yeah," Duo said uncertainly, still lost in his own thoughts. "With Quatre." He shook himself to alert status as Mandred put a hand on the doorknob. "Hey, wait for me! I'm not leaving you alone with them!" 

Mandred had already opened the door and stepped inside. To Duo's surprise, he held it open for Duo to follow. 

Relena looked up at them from her chair. She had been staring out the window again. "Who's this, Duo?" she asked. "I don't think I know you, sir," she said politely, standing. 

"My name is Mandred," he replied. "I seem to be saying that a lot lately. I am here to see Heero. You look much different in person than you do on the projector screens, Miss Darilan." 

"Are you from the colonies?" Quatre asked. 

"I am from a great many places, Mr. Winner, the colonies not least among them. I am here to retrieve Heero, but I wished to meet you three first." 

"Retrieve him?" Relena said somewhat sharply. "What do you mean by retrieve him? He is not a parcel or package you can just pick up." 

"You're feistier than your PR lets on," he chuckled softly to himself but still audible to them. "But without need. After all, parents pick up their children from school all the time." 

"This is not a school, Heero is not a child, and you are not his father...are you?" Relena shot back without hesitation before faltering some at the end. Duo felt his spine go cold. Surely not... 

Mandred laughed. "You're quick-witted too, but hasty. Be careful. No, I'm not his father." Duo let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Until Mandred continued: "But this used to be a school, Heero is technically a child until he turns eighteen, and I do have legal guardianship over his person until that date." 

There was a moment of shocked silence. Duo stared at nothing, dumbfounded, his throat constricted in shocked amazement. 

"L...Legal guardianship?" Relean repeated. "How?" 

"But no one even knows Heero's birthday," Duo protested desparately. 

"I do," Mandred told Duo simply. "I have legal papers. I knew his parents and managed to get guardianship over him through that relation. I also have papers under his new name, which was quite a hassle and is partly reason for my delay. You may see them if you need further proof." 

"Heero has parents?" Duo said with some surprise, as if the idea had never occurred to him. He had always thought of Heero as a wayward wanderer like himself, caught up in affairs, prevailing on his own skill and determination, not as someone with papers, parents, and a past. 

"Of course he has parents," Mandred replied. "But they are long dead now. He knows that. He doesn't know I knew them." 

"Don't trust this guy, Relena, Quatre," Duo warned. "He's not what he seems." He turned a suspicious glare on the stranger. "If you knew Heero's parents, where have you been all his life? Besides, after that "errand" you sent Felicia on, I wouldn't trust you for a second!" 

"As for where I have been, that is a long story," Mandred said. "I came across Heero when he was about six. I did not know he was alive, but because of the situation at the time, I thought I could do little to help him. Because of my hesitation I lost him again. I have since been looking for him, ten years now, and I am weary of the search. He was not easy to find, especially since he changed his name." 

Duo was silent. Relena spoke up. "But Heero lived with Dr. J ten years ago," she said quietly. "He's been training to be a gundam pilot since he was very young. You couldn't have known him then." 

"You are well informed. I am glad, but I wonder if Heero knows how much you know? I lived with Dr. J too, if that satisfies you. I was with him before Heero was, and Heero's coming there was a coincidence not to my liking. It was not my choice to train Heero, but he had already had extensive training before he arrived. I will tell you I was shocked to see him and saddened by what he had already lost, but he did not know me. He still doesn't. He will remember me as Mandred from Project Wing Gundam, Operation Meteor, not as Mandred, friend of his mother's." 

"What do you know of Operation Meteor?" Quatre asked darkly. 

Mandred spoke to him directly and respectfully. "That it was a very flawed plan, and one I very much wanted to prevent. That was part of my purpose for working with Dr J, and though all the scientists did abandon it, they would not abandon the war. I had little personal involvement with any of those decisions, though. My main focus was on Wing and its young pilot. Dr J grew angry at my growing influence over Heero and stole him away. I didn't relocate him again until the gundams came to earth, and then I waited. After the war, it seemed Heero had much improved, so I decided to let him live his life without bringing myself in it to resurrect old shadows. Only now it seems those shadows have returned on their own. So I have come back. It is my mission to finish what I began, to dispel these old ghosts if I am able and he is willing. I must take Heero away with me, and teach him things he never learned. He must deal with someone who already knows what he struggles with, and of those, I am the only one left, and I actually care. You will have to entrust him to me. I fear I can not help him without your blessing, and I can not have the lot of you trying to rescue him at every turn." 

Relena retook her seat and Duo just plopped himself down on the floor. He was confounded, utterly confounded. What were they supposed to do? It seemed this Mandred guy would be taking Heero away. "Will we be able to see him?" Duo whispered. He felt utterly helpless. Heero was going to have a parent of sorts. He would probably live in a house and eat three meals a day with the same people and live in the same neighborhood and go to the same school everyday... or would he be running "errands" for this guy? Duo grew suspicious again. 

"Perhaps, after a little time," Mandred said. "I do not want to isolate him again, but he needs some time to sort things out for himself before he can interact with the rest of you." 

"What about the errands?" Duo demanded. "The last thing Heero needs is more missions." 

Mandred regarded him silently for a moment. "I think you're wrong. Heero ought to do missions, but do not fear, he won't while he stays with me. He needs to first change his perspective." 

Duo opened his mouth to protest. 

Relena stirred, shaking her head. "I understand," she interjected quietly, "Heero ought to do missions because he is so good at them. That is his gift in this life. He is someone everybody can believe in. He is so strong, but," and here she hesitated, the worry plain in the crinkle of her brow, "he always plans to die. He does not believe in himself." 

"Yes," Mandred agreed softly, and she looked up at him in some small amazement. "As I said, he needs to change his perspective. Fighting, soldiering, shouldn't be about dying, it should be about living. But we will talk no more of this. If you now all understand and are in at least partial agreement, I wish to see Heero." 

"We don't know where he is," Quatre informed him. 

"He's in the garden," Relena said softly, glancing out the window. "Reading." 

Duo shook himself out of a trance. Oh, so now he was in the garden? "I'll go get him," Duo said, twisting to his feet. "Boy, I don't know what I'm going to tell him, though." 

"Just tell him I am here," Mandred said. "You will have difficulty enough just with that. He thinks I'm dead." 

Duo left the room, letting the door thud against his heels. Once in the hall, he realized he was shaking. Man! That that guy would just walk in announce he had some weird connection to Heero's past, not to mention possession of him... Duo vaguely remembered Heero's reaction at the last assassination attempt on Relena, when Felicia and her friend Coran had mentioned Mandred's name. Heero had probably just thought it a name, but it had shaken him. This was too bizarre. And all that stuff about Heero's past too. Growing up with the scientists? How had Relena known about that? He doubted Heero would have told her. It made him shiver just thinking about it; at least he (Duo) had been someone old enough to judge right from wrong when he came into his training. He had had a reason for fighting. 

He made his way to the gardens lost in thought. Once outside, he looked up to see if Relena was watching them. She wasn't, but he could see the back of her head. She seemed in deep conversation with Mandred. Quatre was looking out the window now, though. 

Sitting on a bench beside a bed of flowers was Heero, a book opened on his knee. He didn't appear to be really reading it. His eyes had a vacant expression as he stared blankly at a pair of butterflies across the path. He was dressed in proper attire, blue slacks and a white dress shirt. His coat lay folded on the bench beside him. 

"What do you want?" Heero said suddenly, darkly, swinging deep blue eyes in his direction. 

Duo managed a sickly grin. "Uh...nothin' much. We just saw you out here and thought maybe you wanted to come up." 

"Quatre and Relena are trying to have a conference," he said, turning back to his book. "They don't need me. They could probably do without you too." 

All this gloom and hostility... it made him angry, and it frightened him. Duo put his fists on his hips and tried to put life and energy into his words. "Ya' know somethin'? I don't get you. You think Relena and Quatre _really_ need to have a conference? I'm sure whatever mutual business they have could have been sorted out through the mail. Quatre came here to visit and you damn well know it. You're just trying to avoid everybody." 

"Maybe I am." 

"Maybe you shouldn't. We're all just trying to be friends here. You shouldn't brush us off like that, especially Relena. She's been really nice to you and you just continue to ignore her." 

"Relena and I have different lives," Heero said coldly, practically. "She doesn't need me. And I don't need her." He snapped his book shut. "I wish you would stop trying to force me to be social. I'm not like you." He stood up and began to walk away. 

"Heero!" Duo called out. "Why did you never tell me you grew up with Dr. J and Mandred?" 

Heero stopped and then turned just his head, surprise melting in an instant, replaced by that all-too-familiar death glare. "It's not your concern. Nothing about my life is your concern. Dr. J and Mandred are dead." 

"How did Mandred die?" Duo risked asking. 

Heero paused. "I killed him." 

"You..." 

"I detonated the building he was in." Something funny was going on with Heero's expression as he said it. It was like a winter chill had possessed his face, but there was pain in his eyes, a sorrow deeper than the depths of the earth. Duo stared, swallowing, wondering if that was most emotion he had ever seen in Heero's face. An instant later and it was gone. Heero's eyes were as cool as ice. "Where'd you learn any of that anyway? Did Relena tell you?" He sounded angry. 

"No," Duo said. "I didn't know she even knew. Heero..." and he paused, not sure how to continue. Well, he might as well just say it like the guy suggested. "Mandred's not dead. He's here, in the conference room, asking for you." 

Heero's expression was one of complete shock for several heartbeats. "That's not funny, Duo." 

"It's not a joke!" Duo exclaimed in earnest.. "Do I sound like my usual joking self? This is serious. Come on, I'll show you." 

Heero followed in some bewilderment. 

When they reached the conference room, Duo paused. Heero said nothing, but walked right past him through the door. Duo followed on his heels. He stopped dead in the doorway. Duo could feel the tension in the air, the stunned shock, like lighting crackling. 

"Well, Heero is it now?" Mandred said smoothly, standing from where he had been sitting across from Relena and Quatre. "That is what you call yourself now, correct? Well, whatever your name might be, it seems I've found you at last. We're leaving soon." 

Heero expression was something to see. Duo had never seen him so surprised, so bewildered, so at loss for words. Emotions tripped and tumbled across his face in waves. "Mandred? I..." He sounded _flustered! _If it hadn't been such a big deal, Duo would have laughed. As it was, he just leaped out of the way. 

Mandred was across the room and standing in front of Heero before anyone had time to say or do much of anything. Before Heero could react, Mandred had his head in his hands, peering deeply into his eyes. To Duo's wonder, Heero stood completely motionless. He didn't think he'd ever seen anyone stand so close to Heero before without being bidden, but now Heero sttod like a frozen rabbit, staring up into Mandred's face in utter disbelief. "Well, your health is good," Mandred murmured, releasing him and stepping back, "but you are not really very well, are you? Things have been left undone and they haunt you still." Heero's mouth worked silently for a second, his eyes wide and staring. "What was the first lesson?" Mandred prompted. 

"Always follow through," Heero said almost automatically. He still seemed in a state of bafflement, not quite believing anything that was happening around him. He looked like a child, new to the world and amazed by all he saw. 

"Good," Mandred said. "You do remember that much, at least." 

"Lessons?" Relena murmured worriedly. Heero's eyes drifted to her and he swallowed. Emotion was still skittish on his face. He might have flushed. 

"Good principles," Mandred informed her. "Though some of them were twisted." He looked back at Heero. "Whatever possessed you to "follow through" with self-detonation a year ago on Dr. J's orders? You almost gave me a heart attack. It's a good thing you're sturdy." 

Heero said nothing. He still appeared to be in some form of shock. His eyes tore from Relena and stared back at Mandred. Finally, he managed. "I thought you were dead." 

"I'm harder to kill than you are, but Dr. J didn't know that. Point in fact, having you believe you destroyed me was enough of a test. But I won't forgive him for that, not for the order nor the intention of it. No one needs to be that calloused." He put his hands on Heero's shoulders, and to Duo's surprise, Heero didn't move, though he tensed up. Mandred looked right into Heero's eyes, as if he were trying to see Heero's thoughts. Maybe he succeeded. "All right," he said softly, stepping back and raising his voice. "I encourage you to say goodbye to your friends if it pleases you. I don't suppose you have any things? Probably nothing that wouldn't fit in a box." 

"He's got a change of clothes and a gun," Duo drawled. 

Mandred nodded. "That's what I supposed. Bring them with you if you like, though you will not need either. I have bought you new things, and there will be no need of guns where we are going." 

"Where are we going?" Heero asked. He didn't seem upset or reluctant, just bewildered. 

"To the colonies," Mandred replied, opening the door, "since that is where you are originally from. I bought a small house. You will have your own room. I've also already enrolled you in a school." 

"As Heero Yuy?" Heero demanded. "In the colonies, that's..." 

"Everybody already knows," Mandred said smoothly. "You're quite famous, but you knew that. You also seem to like Heero, so you will continue to be called that. You need to settle on a name. No more of these identity changes for domestic living." 

"What if I don't want to go with you?" Heero said. He seemed to be regaining his cool back, his features setting stubbornly. "I'm free now." But he didn't sound like he meant it. 

"I'm not going to make you captive," Mandred replied. "But I do have legal claims on you. I know you as Heero Yuy, and I knew you under your other name. I also knew your mother." Heero stared at him, dumbfounded once more. This time, his face really did flush. His mouth parted, but Mandred over-rode him. "You will come. Are you going to say goodbye?" 

Heero turned slowly, collecting himself, looking intently at each of them. "Goodbye," he said simply. 

"Heero," Relena called lightly. "Will I see you again?" 

"Yeah," Duo echoed. Quatre nodded. 

"I don't know," Heero replied slowly, looking at her with the most peculiar expression. His gaze lingered on all of them. "I don't know anything." 

Mandred regarded him silently for a moment and then led him out of the room. 

Reviews?????? I'm warning you now, this is a very strange, original fic, and something I've worked very hard on. 

[email][1]

   [1]: mailto: zapenstap@yahoo.com



	2. Memories

mandred2

The Mandred Chronicles 

Memories of Mandred 

By zapenstap 

  
  


Heero clasped the cool medal rails separating the milling humanity from the heavy machinery at the spaceport, leaning forward as he stared down vacantly out at the people loading boxes and bags into the cargohold of a space shuttle below. He hadn't said two words to Mandred since leaving the Castle, and could hardly bring himself to look at him fully, though none of his uncertainty showed on his face. They had taken a taxi to the space station in silence as Heero gulped in air and tried to steady the roaring tumult in his mind in body. 

He had killed Mandred. But he had not. And he wasn't even sure that was what was upsetting him. Seeing him now, remembering what he could piece together ten years in the past, it wasn't really all that surprising that Mandred had survived. What was surprising was that the guy had remembered a wayward youth he had taught to tie his shoes and found him in the Cinq Kingdom Castle ten years after that same youth tried to kill him. And yet, he wasn't sure if that was surprising either. 

Heero tried to remember the faces of the others in the room, Relena, Duo and Quatre, but he could not. He had never really looked at them. He had glanced into Relena's direction once, to remind himself of the setting, but her features were cloudy in his memory. The only thing that filled his mind were Mandred's eyes, dark brown piercing eyes, deep in wisdom, staring at him with utmost intensity, much like his own, only rich in love and not in death. That face and those eyes had brought reality to him like a tidal wave, in Relena's conference room, and even when Mandred was no longer standing in his view, his presence was felt, hovering in watchfulness. It made him shiver, but he wasn't sure why. He knew he was not afraid, not for his safety, but he could not comprehend why he was in this place, and it was unnerving to be under someone else's care, especially Mandred's. It was too much like a dream, surreal and indistinct, like fog, like a watercolor painting, out of time and place and comprehensibility. 

"Are you all right?" Heero nodded and said nothing, his breath catching as Mandred passed by his right shoulder and leaned against the rail beside him. Mandred said nothing more, but handed Heero a ticket he had just bought. Heero took it without really looking at him, his expression flat as a sheet. He stared again at the commotion below as the last of the boxes were loaded into the shuttle. Mandred wasn't important, he told himself. Heero had honed himself to weed out personal distractions and Mandred was certainly one of those, something that must be ignored, or escaped if he could not be tuned out. Only... there wasn't a mission, or a war to excuse him from trying, and he knew that Mandred knew that perfectly well. What did the guy want with him? 

Neither of them had any luggage. Heero supposed that meant Mandred had come to Earth only for the purpose of bringing him to the Colonies and had brought nothing with him. The thought increased his discomfort, but he was troubled to discover he was also almost... relieved. Why should it relieve him? He glanced at Mandred briefly, stealing a peek at his face as he looked down over the rail. He looked content, patient. The world could come crashing down around Mandred's head before he would stir himself to move or speak before he was ready. That was how Heero remembered it anyway, a vauge impression, like a taste in the air of a familiar place. It took only once glance at Mandred's face to know that it was nothing against him that Mandred was so quiet and still. He was thinking. Most likely he knew Heero was thinking as well and was taking advantage of the time for his own thoughts in letting him. That suited Heero just fine. 

"They're calling for us to board," Mandred said quietly. Heero nodded absently and followed him to the shuttle without speech. Once they were seated, he returned to his thoughts, conscious of Mandred sitting beside him but doing he best to ignore the man's presence. 

He remembered Mandred with vivid clarity, or as well as he could remember anybody he had not seen very often. He had been there when Heero first saw the Wing Gundam, the day Dr. J brought him in from the streets and introduced him to the mechanics and tacticianists in the complex. Mandred had taken notice of him in that first minute, giving him a long look of contemplative study. After that, and during his first few weeks with Dr. J, he had not seen Mandred at all. He had heard his name mentioned only once, during a short controversy between Dr. J and one of his mechanic assistants. 

_"Mandred said we oughtn't install the zero system," _the mechanic had said_. _ His name was Taylor, but Heero had not been allowed to associate with the mechanics on a personal basis, or anybody really. It was thought that emotional attachments would be a hinderance for someone like him who must learn to do his duty to 100% completion. Heero had been suicidal then, surviving only because he thought he could do some good with his life before he ended it. For at that age he hated the war and everything it had taken from him. The scientists had thought it compromising to educate him on any particular social graces he wouldn't really need beyond the most basic interaction. Therefore, he was not really encouraged to make friends. At the time, Heero agreed and even took his own training further than his trainers intended. 

He tried hard to follow his emotions, remembering Odin Lowe's last words. He hadn't wanted to end up like Lowe, killing because he was ordered to, when his own personal thoughts rebelled against it. But he was also a soldier, and under orders whether he liked them or not, and he had not been fond of Operation Meteror. Death had seemed less grim, and by that point, almost welcome. But while he lived, the compromise was to limit all distractions until his emotional choices were as few and clear-cut as possible. The contrast between the two often made him miserable, but it was the only way he could figure out how to live without going insane. But he welcomed the misery. It was much easier to bear misery than happiness if he had to bear it alone, much easier certainly than trying to learn to love and also kill without compromise. It was what he had tried to explain to Sovia Noventa, though he was not sure she had understood. She had called him a coward, but to this day, he wasn't sure how Quatre or Duo or Relena or any of the others lived through the war any other way. Or Mandred. 

"_Yes, we five scientists agreed to that as well," Dr. J had replied. "But it's not in Mandred's authority to advise anyone. He's only here because he knows more about enforcing gundamian alloy to withstand huge amounts of abuse than anybody. His influence ends there. He's almost done anyway; soon, we won't need him anymore. Pay him no mind."_

When Mandred actually arrived, everybody found it very difficult to "pay him no mind." Heero remembered it with a small smile. He swept into the complex handsome, confident, and completely in control of all his faculties, with an air of wisdom and authority, yet he never told anybody what to do. But if Mandred made suggestions, they were done with little time wasted. Seemingly, he spent most of his time surveying the gundamian alloy that was shipped in to build the gundam. He spent hours staring at it, making marks on clipboards and surveying the mechanics who worked to make it into the pieces needed to build the actual gundam. He surveyed the team that welded the pieces together too. Heero had once watched him stand lie that, completely still, for an entire hour, oblivious to anything happening around him. When he finally walked away, he never returned to the same spot. 

When Mandred wasn't working, he sometimes argued with Dr. J. When they argued, it was usually about the gundam or the war, but sometimes, it was about Heero himself. Heero was never close enough to hear exactly what they argued about, but it seemed to be about his mission. He never discovered who won the argument, but he supposed it was Dr. J from the tightly controlled anger in Mandred's face when Heero saw him after. Heero had always found that peculiar, because it seemed to him that if Mandred really wanted something, it would happen. 

Mandred spent the rest of his time with Heero. He didn't really remember how this began; Mandred, like all the mechanics, wasn't supposed to have anything to do with him. Yet, somehow he was always around. He answered Heero's questions, about anything, and encouraged him to ask more. Twice that year he gave Heero gifts; once for Christmas, and once (he now assumed) for his birthday. Thinking of it now, it seemed highly strange, but at the time he had appreciated it beyond anything; he had never received a present before. The first gift had been a toy plane, which had enchanted him as a six-year old. The second gift was books, several books that Heero had very much wanted to read, but Dr. J took them away when he found out and he never got the chance. The plane he was allowed to keep because it was very like a model of the Wing Gundam in its ariel form; but Heero had not known that at the time. Mandred bought him other things as well, things he needed like shoes and clothes and coats. Dr. J never noticed when Heero grew too big for his old things, but whenever this happened, Heero always found new things laid out for him and his old gone. 

During this time, Heero was already learning how to operate explosives and shoot several different types of guns. Some of it he had already learned while working with Odin Lowe, but there was more to learn than he ever dreamed and he was worked hard. If he failed, he was disciplined, but if not, he was not rewarded. It was expected that he should always succeed. Dr. J always said that when the time came, a failed mission meant death. Gradually, Heero failed less often, and eventually not at all. As Heero's training intensified, Mandred argued more frequently with Dr. J. Soon, Heero began to go out on missions, detonating mobile suit factories or intercepting OZ intel. When he was not out on missions, Mandred spent even more time with him, personal time. It was during their talks that Heero began to learn "lessons" from Mandred. He learned everything from following through to reading between the lines to how to be courteous in a public situation. Most of his social etiquette he promptly forgot. They were not enforced in his daily activities, and soon Mandred was no longer around to remind him. 

Dr J grew angry at Mandred's increased interest in Heero. He repeatedly told Mandred to stay away from Heero while he was training, but Mandred always refused. They argued about "confusing the boy," about his missions, about everything. Even so, Dr. J slowly managed to isolate Heero from everyone, including Mandred. Heero trained from dawn to dusk and dropped asleep too tired for talking. This went on for several months until Heero began to learn that Mandred was not important to his mission, and thus, not important at all. Dr. J taught him new principles and grew increasingly proud of his growing dedication to the mission. Heero had nothing else to focus on. 

One day, there was great activity in the compound. Wing Zero was almost finished and Dr. J had his workers preparing it for transportation. Heero asked what was going on. 

"You are to begin your training with the mobile suit soon," Dr. J said. "But there is no room here. We will move to an isolated colony for that." 

Heero understood, but it wasn't until later that he realized the falsity of Dr. J's reply. Heero was not yet big enough to use the mobile suit. Indeed, after the move, he wasn't big enough for several years. What Dr. J really wanted was to get away from Mandred. When all was ready, the Wing Gundam enroute to its new location, Heero was ordered to detonate the compound. He knew Mandred was still inside, asked to do the final check-ups. It might have gone against his emotions a year or so back, but now that he saw Mandred as merely another distraction, he saw no reason not to accomplish the mission as efficiently as possible. So he detonated the colony, and as he thought, Mandred with it. It was only after that he felt the shard of ice go through his heart, and the strange pain in his chest. It was then they at he realized how much he actually had cared about Mandred, and the realization caused him tremendous grief, even tears; they were some of the last he ever shed. It wasn't until his first failed mission that cost the life of one little girl and her yellow dog that Heero understood how kind Mandred had really been to him. After that, Heero's training changed. He was completely isolated, rebuked for his emotions, ignored for his successes and given every incentive to take his own life. Only a few things kept him from doing this. One was Mandred's first lesson; he had promised that he would always follow through, and that meant completing his mission against OZ. Two, he hadn't quite gotten rid of the hope that things would change someday, that peace would come all would be well. He wanted to help accomplish that, even if he did not live to see it. So though he was miserable, his strongest emotion was his desire to stop OZ, and Operation Meteor if possible. Anything relating to himself was a distraction. He really didn't think his own life that important, but the end of the war was something he could help achieve, and that was worth fighting for. When it came down to Operation Meteor itself, Dr. J told him he had three choices: to accomplish Operation Meteor according to the purposes of the Barton Foundation, to ignore the orders, kill Dr. J and escape, or somehow die before he had to make either choice. Dr. J had seemed to urge the third, but when Heero landed on Earth and attempted to self-destruct his space suit, it had failed, as did his attempts after that. 

A lot of things had changed since then. Heero turned in his seat and stared out the window into the deepness of space, sympathizing with its vast emptiness. When had they taken off? 

"Have you figured it all out yet?" Mandred murmured suddenly from the seat beside him on the shuttle. 

Heero looked his way. "No. I don't understand why you came for me." He stopped. "Did you really know my mother?" That had shocked him when it was said in the conference room. He had never known that. 

"Are you wondering if I took an interest in you only because of that? Don't. Perhaps I take you in now partially because I feel I owe your family something, but I did not know you were Caroline's son until after you were gone. I discovered it when I began searching for you." 

Caroline? "I don't need to be 'taken in' " he said darkly, and with that strange fearful feeling. 

"Yes you do," Mandred countered with infuriating surety. "Everybody needs and wants to be taken in and cared for. It's part of the human condition. I know Dr. J tried to train that out of you, but I do not think that can ever fully be done. You want to live in a home as much as anybody else. Some people like to travel, true, but especially for young people, a home is very important. When I say "take you in" I don't mean it as a form of reluctant charity. I wanted you to come live with me or I wouldn't have spent ten years looking for you. I don't need you as much as you need me, but I do care about you and it would grieve my heart if you refused my offer." 

Heero was silent for a moment. There was too much in that he did not understand, and to his unbelieving ears, it sounded almost like false manipulation. But somehow he knew it was not. Mandred was always simply honest. He decided to change the topic. "How did you escape the compound all those years ago? I know you were in there when I detonated it." 

"And I knew Dr. J didn't like me very much. I also knew it was too early for a move. The "how" of the matter isn't really important. I had many tricks to aid me in my escape. It's not easy to kill me." He sounded a little amused at this pronunciation, and Heero almost smiled. 

"Maybe I get it from you then," Heero said, crossing his arms smugly. 

Mandred's eyes flickered with thought as his eyebrows rose expressively. "Oh? Is that the beginning of a joke? I've heard how invincible you are." He smiled. "It is quite interesting to me that someone can try equally hard to both kill themselves and survive. It's very hard to die on a mission if you refuse to fail." 

Heero swallowed. Well if Mandred was going to be straight-forward, he might as well reply in kind. "Unless the mission is to self-detonate," Heero replied. 

"Yes, you do tend to make that a prerogative, don't you? Even when it's not necessary. I've heard you've even told others to try it, though it didn't work very well for you." 

Heero glowered. Was he being made fun of? No. Only honesty. "It hurt like hell." 

"That's what I mean," Mandred replied more soberly. "I've never been very fond of suicide, and more than because it is against my religion. The only kind I approve of is when a man is willing to lay down his life in love and selflessness. I still haven't quite figured out why you attempted tp self-detonate. The colonies were in danger, but your destroying yourself didn't really save them, and they probably wouldn't have appreciated it anyway." 

He certainly seemed to know a lot about it. Heero decided to keep it factual. "The gundams couldn't be allowed to fall into the hands of OZ." 

"Then detonate the gundams. You can always build a new one, but you're a little harder to replace." 

Heero succumbed into silence. He had never discussed this with anybody before. He was harder to replace? He understood what Mandred meant, but it didn't make sense to him. Finally, he spoke, half to himself, looking straight ahead. "I wanted to end it," he said firmly, hoping to finalize the conversation by returning Mandred's honesty. "To finish the mission and myself. Dr. J gave me the order and I accepted it. It was perfect. I did everything the most efficient way." 

"Look at me." The tone in those words sent a chill down his spine. Heero looked up defiantly, his eyes drawn to Mandred as if the man were pulling his face toward his, but his defiance died at Mandred's expression, and he suddenly felt very small. "If it was really perfect, it would also be good, and death like that is never _good_. What you did hurt a lot of people, you most of all, and me as well." 

"Everybody dies," Heero said quietly. Why did he have to be looked at that way? Too personal, but he couldn't escape those eyes. "Why not die fighting? In completing a mission?" 

"Did you self-detonate for the Colonies or because you wanted to die and it was a good excuse?" Heero felt something like a stab in his gut and could not answer. "You don't have to answer that," Mandred continued. "That's not what I meant by selflessness. If your own life is not precious to you, then it means nothing if you give it up. You will get no reward for giving away that which has no value to you." Heero looked away quickly, swallowing. "No, look at me." He turned back again, wanting nothing more than to flee as he never had before. "Heero, your life has great value, even if you do not know it." 

"I wasn't looking for a reward," he stammered, and flushed slightly at his clumsiness. He looked down again, crossing his arms. 

"No. You were looking for an escape." 

"What do you mean by good?" Heero asked in as low and even tones as he could manage, trying to both change the subject and clarify what Mandred meant. "Is death ever good?" 

"By good I mean the purest form of the meaning of the word, what people mean when they say 'God is good' not 'that's some good pie.' It's something beautiful of which you can never get too much. Like joy. You ask if death is good? I'm not sure I fully know, but I do not believe it is any sort of escape. People often contemplate if death the end of everything or the gateway to something new. If it is the latter, does the method of death really matter except to those who are still alive, or even if death is nothing but blackness, which I can not comprehend? Living things are always better than dead things, but if you are the sort who believes in eternity, the body is the only thing that really dies. A corpse is decidedly ugly, pale and cold, without color or movement, without _life_. Certainly death is an end, but not necessarily _the_ end. So why look at it as an escape? If you believe in Heaven or Hell, do you think it likely that you could ever be ready to choose when to enter either? Of course not. If you think you do, your understanding is even smaller than you realize. You don't know anything, not what will happen in death or in life, so who are you to take that decision upon yourself, and by doing so end any chance of a better future and also grieve everyone around you?" 

"Is that a Catholic belief?" Duo would sometimes talk about the Catholic faith, but not really as if he believed any of it. Quite the opposite. He seemed rather bitter about it, really, even angry. 

"I don't know much about Catholocism. These are my own understandings, and the influence of people I trust. If God has a place in them, it is because God has a place in everything, but it is not a religious matter. If you do not believe in eternity, or in God, or Heaven or Hell..." 

"I don't." 

"Then the situation remains the same. You know nothing, less than someone who does believe in something, and one would think that taking your own life would be more terrifying than anything you might face by surviving. At least in this world you have some idea of what to expect. Even misery is better than the unknown, and there is always hope of escape from misery to the goodness life has to offer for those who seek it." 

"But you said that you could admire someone who dies selflessly." 

"I have rarely heard of that," Mandred replied, "and never from someone without some idea of where they were going." Mandred looked at him, taking in his tenseness in a glance. "I'm not trying to scare you. I know you are not afraid to die. I am not either, but I think our reasons are different. Neither am I trying to convince you of anything. I merely wanted to communicate that I do not want you to take your own life so casually, or even earnestly, and to explain why. It might be easiest for you to simply know that it is partially because such an act would grieve me," and there was that terrifying expression again, "but I also want to you live because _you_ want to, as you did for awhile at the end of the war, and I thought I would shed light on what a difficult and complicated choice death is, for I perceive you have not given it much thought. You must come to love life before you can think maturely of death." 

They didn't say anything more for the rest of the flight, but Heero thought about it, and more closely about that look in Mandred's face that so unnerved him.   


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   [1]: mailto:zapenstap.yahoo.com



	3. Home and Love

The Mandred Chronicles: 

Home and Love 

by Zapenstap

  
  


"Wake up. We're here," 

Heero opened his eyes sleepily to Mandred hovering above him. He blinked and threw off the blanket from around his shoulders, though he hadn't remembered covering himself when he fell asleep. Passengers around him were getting to their feet, reaching into the compartments above their heads for their luggage. He shifted, stiff and over-heated from heavy sleep. He hadn't slept that good in a long time. And on a ship too. 

"Come on," Mandred urged again with something like laughter in his voice. "We want to get out before the crowd, don't we?" 

Heero rose drowsily and followed Mandred through the aisle between the seats to the exits at the front of the passenger's cabin. Mandred nodded to the stewardess and moved aside to let Heero out before him. They stepped down the ramp and out into the station side by side. Mandred frowned, looking about as if lost. 

"Don't travel much?" Heero said blankly. 

"Do you have to sound so accusing?" his tone wasn't exactly mean. It was almost like friendly banter. 

Heero blinked. 

Mandred glanced at him. "No," he said. "I don't travel like this often." He smiled good-naturedly as he looked about the Colony spaceport. "But no matter; we'll hire a taxi to take us home." 

Home. Heero wondered what Mandred's house would look like and whether it would really feel like home. He doubted it. 

He had never been in a taxi before Mandred came to Cinq. The experience wasn't very exciting, but it wasn't what he was used to either. Come to think of it, he usually stole rides to his destination, either the vehicle itself or by hitching a ride unbeknownst to the driver. This felt odd, but he sat back and stared out the window at the colony with little visible agitation. He didn't think he's been on this L1 colony before, or if he had, he did not remember it. 

The taxi driver, a woman with a dark hair and a cheery look, drove merrily through the main part of the city, following Mandred's brief directions. Before long, Mandred struck up a conversation with her, which Heero found odd considering they were perfect strangers, and eyed them askance with his arms folded, but the taxi driver responded as if they were old friends. Heero listened even as he looked out the window. He was intrigued by ordinary conversation, especially what one could carry on with a stranger. Mandred did this without much effort. The woman behind the wheel was chatting and laughing merrily right up until they pulled in close to the curve. Ignoring them, Heero looked silently out the window at a little brown house on a street surrounded by many other small houses just like it. 

"Well, here we are," the driver said. "It has been good talking with you, sir. And your son too. Quiet boy, but he looks like a good kid. Have a good afternoon." 

Heero started a little when the woman referred to him as Mandred's son, turning his head slightly, arms still crossed, but he supposed it was a logical conclusion and thought little of it ultimately. Presently, he and Mandred stepped out of the taxi. Mandred paid her generously from what Heero could tell, and she drove off. 

"Do you always carry on conversations with people you don't know?" Heero asked darkly, expecting some lecture perhaps on his lack of social graces. 

"No," Mandred replied. "But she looked lonely and eager to talk, and it does me no harm. I like to be friendly. Some people maintain that idle chatter is a waste of good intellect, but I do not really think it so harmful, unless, perhaps, the talk is loose. Loose talk can be damaging, especially among strangers, but that's not something we need to discuss. I could hardly pin that as a vice in you." 

Heero snorted. "You think I should talk more, like Duo?" 

"No, not at all. Whatever gave you that idea? As long as you are not melancholy and refusing speech out of some kind of self pity or vanity, your choice to use words sparingly is hardly consequential to your character. It is not even an indication of shyness, and sometimes even shyness is really just propriety in disguise. No, as long as you are not quiet because of oppression, fear or attempt at manipulation of others through pity, it is not really a concern of mine how much or little you speak. But a woman might tell you differently." 

"Huh?" 

"Women sometimes think some men speak little because they wish to hide their feelings. Perhaps they are right, but if so, they won't hear it from me." 

As this thought seemed extraneous, Heero did not reply. His knowledge of women was so small it was hardly worth thinking about, and his understanding of them in relation to himself or his sex in general less than miniscule. He thought briefly of Relena, the only girl he might really claim to know at all, and then dismissed the image and diverted his attention elsewhere. Letting the matter drop, he stood alone on the sidewalk, looking about him. He felt a little hollow standing there in unfamiliar territory, not sure what to think or feel. He put his hands in the pockets of his jeans, peering about as the wind blew his shirt against his chest, contemplating this new environment. It looked more than a little stark, even prosaic, but almost any place he had ever lived did. The only place that looked welcoming at all was Cinq, and that, he supposed, was only because the people he knew frequented it. He again studied the house, simple, yet elegantly constructed, and seemingly fairly new. 

"It's a nice little house," Mandred said from beside him. "And new to me too, thouh I was growing rather fond of it while unpacking. We will get used to it together. Tomorrow you will start school, but today we will just relax and get aquatinted with one another." 

"We're already aquatinted," Heero said stiffly. Again he felt the urge to escape. 

"We'll get better aquatinted," Mandred said confidently. "I want to hear what you've been doing and I'm sure you have more questions, things relevant now and perhaps things you did not ask all those years ago. There's more to both of us than a mobile suit. I want to hear about you and all your relations and you will hear about me and mine as well. If we're lucky, you'll get to meet Immilie soon." With that, Mandred began moving toward the house. 

"Who's Immilie?" Heero asked, still standing on the sidewalk. He was getting tired of following Mandred everywhere. And that house still looked strange and unwelcoming. How could this ever be home? 

"Come inside and I will tell you," Mandred said, opening the door. He stayed where he was, feeling uncertain and powerless. "Come on," Mandred urged. "I know it's strange, but it will become more comfortable. Don't you want to see your room and the things I bought for you?" 

He had a room with things? Heero walked into the house uncertainly. The entryway was dark wooded floors and plain walls. He wandered about the few rooms on the first floor cautiously, taking in the classic coloring and uncluttered appearance. The furniture was heavy, but elegant, polished wood set with few adornments. There were stairs leading up to what he supposed would be bedrooms and bathrooms and closets, though come to think of it, he had never really been in anyone's personal home before. Unconsciously went searching for his own room, with the same curiosity one feels when checking into a hotel room, looking for that private space where he could "belong" for a time. He had never had a real bedroom before. It wasn't thrilling to look at when he found it, but it gave him a strange warm feeling anyway. There was a bed and a desk and a dresser, all of dark wood newly bought. He went to the dresser and began opening the drawers. To his surprise, there were clothes inside, folded nicely with price tags still attached. He began rummaging through them, picking out a gray fleece immediately and pulling it over his head. It was warm, new and... his, he supposed. He ripped off the price tag and continued to look through what he must consider his other belongings. He had never had so many things before. He wasn't sure how he felt about this charity, but he supposed this was normal if Mandred really was his legal guardian. Besides, it wasn't the first time he had accepted clothes from Mandred. He supposed all these things were like a compilation of all the things Mandred probably would have bought for him in the years since he had seen him. Since he had killed him. 

"Anything you don't like?" Mandred said suddenly from the doorway. 

Heero twisted on his foot from his crouched position, startled. "I don't know." 

"Just put whatever you don't want in the hallway and I'll take it back when you're at school tomorrow." 

School. He was not fond of school. "Don't you have to work or something?" Heero asked vaguely, rising. 

"Yes, but not all day. I have some leniency in my field and from my superiors." 

Heero absorbed that in silence. It was hard trying to imagine Mandred with superiors. It was hard imagining him at work, or himself at school. He refrained from asking what Mandred did. No use getting more personal than necessary. This whole situation was still only half-real, though he was accepting it more easily than he would have expected. 

"Are you hungry?" Mandred asked. 

"Yeah," Heero said truthfully. They walked downstairs, Heero following again. Mandred directed him to the table and he sat down uncertainly. The table was already set with dishes. Mandred walked into the kitchen, an area cut off from the dinning room just by space and counters. 

"I am really going to school tomorrow?" Heero asked quietly, feeling as if something needed to be said. 

"Yes." He came back into the room with a dish of breaded chicken and bowl of salad. 

"Why?" 

"Because people your age go to school, at least for another year, and I do not want you here alone all day, nor out working with adults who won't be interested in you." 

"But I'm a soldier, not a scholar." 

Mandred crossed his arms. "One thing I hope you will learn, Heero, is that you can be a great many things in this life. But you _will_ go to school and get at least a semblance of a proper education. I'm not so concerned with classes or grades, but that you share the experiences of your peers so that you may not be estranged from them any more than can't be helped. So you will go to school, and hopefully you will graduate. From there it is up to you what you want to do." 

"But I've already learned more than most my peers.  It will be awkward.  They're ignorant." 

Mandred chuckled. "There's a lot you don't know. I have already dealt with the administration and managed to get you the credit you deserve for classes you didn't take, but there's still more you need to graduate and you'll have a full plate for the semester. As it is, you will be graduating a year late, and if you so choose, won't be able to start college until you're nineteen, if you want to go to college at all." 

College? The thought never crossed his mind. Wasn't this the time when most people decided between going to college or a community school or work or the military? Strange to think he had already done the last bit. 

"I'll stand out," he said at last. He looked down at his plate, studying the tabletop. He would be... different from the others. It would be hard to go to classes, really go to classes, with them. Not because he was less or more, but because his experience was so radically different. It had been strange even undercover, a sort of farse that made it bearable, but this time he would have to stick with it for over a year, and in earnest. It was a scary thought, thinking he would be surrounded by people and yet completely alone. And they would be the same people; they might learn more about him than he wanted to reveal, or maybe not bother to try, and then... 

Mandred said nothing for a good minute, but gradually he became aware that his guardian was watching him. Presently, he spoke. "You are afraid. That is the real problem. I don't think you have cause to worry. Among those who aren't scared of you—and if you look at them like you're looking at me right now, they will be--you might even be popular, at least for awhile. Everybody will want to know the gundam pilot. If you attempt to be nice, you will make friends." 

Heero tried to adjust his expression so he wouldn't look scary. "You really told them?" 

"Yes. They would figure it out anyway, Heero. Your name and picture are in the media; you know that. One of the things you need to learn in school is interaction. From what I hear, you weren't always doing so well on Earth with Relena or with Duo, and those people already know you." 

"They don't know me," he said flatly. 

"I think they know more than you think. If nothing else, meeting other people your age might help you to appreciate these older acquaintances more.  Relena knew more about your past than even I thought." 

"She told me she met Dr. J." 

"Did she?  What did you think of that?" 

"I couldn't kill her," he said. "I still don't why. Everything has changed since then. I no longer need to now, but why didn't I then? She knew too much." 

"But she was no threat. I think you sensed that." 

"She said she was on my side," he said, almost to himself. 

"Did she now?" Mandred mused. "She knew something about you and she was on your side? I wouldn't have killed her either, if I were you. I imagine she was the only one in some time, and a complete stranger no less. Not to mention the top of her class, rather cute, admired by all her peers, and kept your secret. I think she knows you more than you want to believe." 

Heero said nothing. Memories of Relena after the war, sitting beside him on the bench in the garden, smiling at him in the hall, eating beside him at meals as she tried to get him to talk to her, flooded his head. She had been patient with him in silence, but he had feigned indifference and clammed up around her every time. He would not meet her eyes, or if so, harshly and in defiance. At the end of the war she had known more of him than anyone, and that was fine for awhile, as long as he knew he was leaving and it didn't matter, but whenever he was in her presence now he felt insecure. It was the same with any of the others, though to a lesser degree. There was a permanent connection now between all of them, but it was more peculiar with Relena. She wasn't as foolish and idealistic as she had been. He could not behave around her as if he were a figure of wisdom, or only her protection or hope. He couldn't be an Idea anymore. She saw him as a person now, and it was unnerving. He wasn't going to kill her and he couldn't run away because had no where else to go. He hated loneliness, now that he knew it for what it was. For awhile he even thought he might love Relena, as far as his understanding of such an idea went, but in the end it didn't matter; she knew too much, _way_ too much, and it scared him that she kept trying to get closer. He retaliated by pulling away, in fear and trepidation, and part of him regretted it. If she hadn't cared so much, her presence would have been comfortable. They were similar in many ways, and she was nice to look at, sometimes, when he thought about it, but she knew too much. They could never really be friends. 

"Well?" Mandred prompted. 

"She's strange," he said in a low, defensive tone. 

Mandred chuckled. "Eat your dinner." 

Heero complied with some relief. 

After dinner, Mandred put the dishes in the sink and came back to the table. 

"You never told me who Immilie is," Heero said, feeling a little more comfortable and little more brave. Besides, he wanted to head off any more questions Mandred would ask him. 

Mandred laughed. "Immilie is my lady," he said with a touch of sentimentality, "a girlfriend, I guess you would call it.  But she keeps just far enough away so that I know I can't really have her." A strange look came over Mandred's face, a sort of contemplative, far-away look that was as intriguing as it was strange. Heero has never seen anything like it before. 

"What do you mean?" Heero asked quietly, sensing this was very important to him. "She's your girlfriend, but she won't marry you?" 

Mandred propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his folded hands. "A simplifed way to put it. I have known Immilie for years. We have been exclusive for countless more. I consider her my companion and she considers me hers. There is the feeling of our relationship being life-long, but nothing has been agreed upon." He seemed amused by this more than upset. 

"How do you know you want it be? Did you propose to her?" 

"Several times. I knew Immilie was the woman for me the year after we first met, but I can't really explain how. At first I wasn't sure I was ready for her, but time passed and I realized otherwise.  I was determined to do something about it after we became used to fighting and making up again. One would think she'd marry me so we could go on fighting and making up more conveniently, but she won't." 

"Why not?" Heero asked, interested in spite of himself. This story was almost funny, but he dared not laugh. 

"I don't know. We haven't quite worked that out yet. She says I intimidate her. She doesn't feel she's good enough for me, or can't live up to my expectations.  I don't want anyone else. She just won't believe I want her." 

"You're certainly being open about this." 

"It's not a secret. All of our friends have heard the story. Sometimes I think it would be best just to tie her up and marry her however she protests, but I'm not quite brave enough to do that, and I'm not sure what her reaction would be." 

"Brave enough?" 

"Women are terrifying. Not much frightens me anymore, but Immilie makes me nervous. When our love was new she made me feel weak, which surprised me. I haven't felt unsure about anything in a very long time.  She still intimidates me sometimes, but more than that, it's a nervousness about how much we have against each other, how vulnerable we are. I trust her, but I've been alone a very long time, and these feelings are new and strange to me again, almost as they were in my youth and inexperience. She simply scares me." 

Heero didn't quite know what to think of that, but he refrained from asking how old Mandred was, or when the last time was when he had those feelings, and what had happened. "But it sounds like she's scared of you too." 

"Yes, well, that's the way it sometimes works." 

Heero struggled, bringing as much information as he ever learned about love. It wasn't much. "But you're in love, aren't you?" he fumbled at last. "Isn't that all you're supposed to really need?" 

"No. Whatever gave you that idea? I do love her, of course, but there's so much more involved than that. People fall in and out of love all the time. Even if I marry Immilie, I will not always be in love with her." 

"Isn't that a self-defeatist attitude?" he said darkly, in his deepest tones. 

"No, not really. You misunderstand me. I believe I will always _love_ Immilie, but I will not always be_ in_ love with her. That feeling will fade as we become used to each other. My love for her now, I believe, is of the right sort, deep and quiet and merged so well with myself and my habits that no anger, fear or separation of space could ever cause me to stop loving her enough to leave her. Even loving Immilie as I do, it is possible I could fall in love with someone else, perhaps numerous times, in our lives together. That shouldn't happen if I don't let it—falling in love is less like an accident than it sounds—but it _is_ possible, and has happened to a good many well-meaning man or woman. If I marry Immilie, it is a solemn promise I am making to her to continue faith in that union whatever emotional hang-ups we have along the way. If she and I keep that promise, and if our love was true to begin with, there should be no reason to ever think we were in error. We will enjoy being "in love" while it lasts, but _knowing_ that the infatuation will die as frequently as it is reborn deepens the meaning of commitment. It is my understanding that the institution of marriage is a covenant between two people to love and cherish each other until death do them part, not a promise to live together until the floaty feelings fade and one is no longer gratified by the relationship. Marrying someone is like making them part of your family. No matter how often you fight, the love and commitment remains. But marriage is more because it is also asking and letting another person to be a part of _you_, and to attempt to become part of that other person, without fear of ever being separated. That is, in a sense, what sex is supposed to represent, and why it should only be one person, because, of course, sex produces children, and though that is not its only function, children are meant to grow up in homes with parents that can be this sort of example of love, that is lasts. Not that it often happens this way. Sometimes circumstance is such that the most idealistic way is not the best for the people involved." 

"I wouldn't know anything about it," he replied without emotion. This was way out of his league. He wasn't even sure it made sense, but it felt... pretty, and, he hoped, possible. He hadn't really given it much thought before. 

"I wouldn't really expect you to," Mandred told him, and the mood lifted. "Statistically, most men don't really think seriously about marriage until they are thirty or so. Women think about it much sooner, which sometimes causes problems through miscommunication, or so I'm told. Some women even begin planning their weddings as children." He smiled almost fondly. "They're very silly in that way." 

Heero looked out the dining room window into the front yard and the neighborhood street. He supposed all sorts of families were just finishing dinner. 

"Have you ever thought about children?" 

Heero jumped. "No, never." 

"Nor have I, not until recently anyway. You have more excuse than myself, being little more than a child yourself. Children are an abstract, future idea for most people your age, girls more than boys usually. But I had wondered if you had thought about it at all." 

"I never think past the mission," he said slowly. "Honestly, I didn't think I would survive to this point. For awhile, I didn't want to." 

"But now you do. You are no longer isolated, but have managed to form relationships to keep you tied to this world. That's excellent. All I want you to do now is give the future some thought. Don't think necessarily about marriage and children as that is a long way off if you're inclined to it at all, but just the future in general. Everybody needs dreams, Heero. In hard times, sometimes they're all you've got left." 

Heero didn't say anything for awhile. "I think I'm going to go to bed," he said at last. "I have school tomorrow." 

"Good night," Mandred murmured.   
  
  
  
  
  



	4. School Day

mandred4

  
The Mandred Chronicles

School Day 

by zapenstap   
  
  
  
  
  


Heero opened and closed his binder once again. He would actually have to keep papers in it this time, and take notes. Frowning, he shut it and shoved it into his bag. He wasn't looking forward to carrying something so large around all the time. And he didn't have a gun either. 

"You've got money for lunch and all the basic materials," Mandred said. "It looks like you're set." 

"Looks like it," Heero muttered. 

"The first day of school is always a little strange, especially when it's not the first day for everybody else and you're a stranger." 

"I've been to school before, Mandred." 

"Yes, for a week or two at a time and always undercover. That won't happen this time because they will all already know who you are and you will stay there to get to know them." 

Heero set down his bag heavily, shrugging his shoulders uncomfortably. "And I really have to go." It was not a question. 

"You really have to, unless you can give me a better excuse than you don't want to." 

"Duo doesn't go to school. Neither does Relena or Quatre or anybody else I know." 

"Duo's trying to run a business. Quatre manages his father's estates. Relena has a paid salary and busy political career. Both Quatre and Relena have tutors and advisers to teach them what they need to know. What are you going to do? Join a traveling circus like Trowa?" 

"I could have been a Preventor." 

"Yes, but you walked away, didn't you? The Preventors are team-oriented. Are you?" 

"Wufei's more solitary than I and he's a Preventor." 

"Wufei has Sally Po to help him in that. He listens to her. And I do not really think so. He fights alone because he believes he can do it by himself. That's his pride. He'll get over that. You fight alone because you don't know how to fight with others, or even interact with them, eh? You'll learn that at school. And you're going to be late." 

So it was that Heero found himself prodded gently out the door and on the sidewalk. The school was within walking distance so he began to walk, thinking about what Mandred had said. He couldn't fight with others? Surely at some point he had... well no, he couldn't really think of any times. He had protected the Cinq kingdom with Noin and Quatre... well, sort of; he had fought by himself in the hills even after the battle was over, but that was partly the fault of the zero system. He had gone to join up with Noin in space, but Quatre led all the battles while he fought solo with Zechs. Maybe there really _weren't_ any times. Quatre had begged him to lead and he had refused. That had been necessary. Someone had to fight Zechs in the Epyon and only Zero could do it. Besides, he wasn't really a leader and Quatre could handle it. It had nothing to do with shying away from team effort; it was just circumstance. 

The school wasn't any different than he expected. It was somewhat of a tall building, four or five stories, two building connected by a courtyard and a stone plaza out in front. Hundreds of students were walking across the plaza to the doors, some in groups, some alone. They moved in a routine fashion, greeting the people they usually greeted, ignoring the people they usually ignored, avoiding the people they usually avoided. Heero didn't greet, ignore or avoid anybody. He didn't know anyone. Well, so far, everything was routine for him too. 

He made his way to the administration office as the halls began to clear. There would be no hacking his name into the files this time. Mandred had officially enrolled him. All he had to do was sign in for his first day, pick up his schedule and go to class. He would probably be introduced and asked to give a greeting speech before a hundred strange faces. That hadn't gone well two out of the three times he had done it. As he stepped inside a small, plain little office, the bell rang. 

Two women sat behind a pair of desks in the administration office, chatting over cups of black coffee. One male student sat in a chair next to the far wall, his shoulders slumped and his feet kicking the carpet. He looked bored. A girl student was leaning over the desk where the two older women sat, looking over a few sheets of paper. Heero made his way forward. 

"Heero Yuy?" One of the women behind the desk said, setting down her coffee. 

"Yeah," Heero said. He didn't like people he didn't know addressing him. 

"Oh good," she said. Swivling in her chair, she called over her shoulder, "Melanie, you about done with that?" 

"Hold on, Mrs. Jenkins, almost," the girl student said good-naturedly, tapping the end of a pencil against her cheek. She turned around, leaning against the heavy desk, flipping through several sheets of paper. "Heero," she said brightly, but half to herself, "You're in homeroom with Miss Terris and then you have Poli Sci with Rogers..." she stacked the papers together, "Eh, never mind; you'll figure it out when you get there. Don't worry about a thing, Mrs. Jenkins. I'll take care of him." 

She grabbed Heero's arm and led him out of the administration office. He immediately pulled away and she let him go as if it were nothing. She tucked long blonde hair behind her ears and smiled at him in a way that reminded him of Duo. She looked a little bit like Relena, but without the seriousness of expression, the quiet confidence, and more trendy. "So you're the new kid," she drawle and glanced at him sidelong. "They say you were a gundam pilot." She laughed as his face darkened. "Sorry. Sorry," she said, waving her hand in a gesture of apology. "I'm impulsive, but I thought it better if I just threw it out there right from the start. Enough people know that it's not going to be a secret within a week." 

"Who are you?" he demanded, wondering why she was there at all. 

She flushed. "Oh, sorry!" She offered him her hand, "I'm Melanie Fanswidth. I'm on student council so I get asked to help new students on their first day sometimes." When he didn't take her hand she let it drop. "Okay, a little stand-offish. That's all right. I'll just over compensate, I guess. So, you're Heero Yuy, huh? That can't be your real name. God, it's so weird talking to you! I wasn't around when the real Heero Yuy was leader of the colonies but my mom always talks about him. 'He was such a good leader,' she's always saying. She goes on and on about it whenever we have elections to the legislature. But never mind about that. Let's talk about you. I don't really know much about you, I mean, no more than most people do. That's basically that you're a gundam pilot. God, but that's so cool!" 

"Do you always talk this much?" he said when she paused. She was a pretty girl, very pretty, but she certainly did talk a lot, and about stuff she didn't seem to understand either. Why did everybody want to know about him? At this rate, _everybody_ would know too much. She didn't seem the type to keep much to herself, and what reason did she have for asking all these questions anyway? They had never met before. Just like Relena. 

"Yeah," she laughed. "Well, you're not helping and someone has to fill space." She flushed again and added a little sheepishly, "okay, yeah, I'm a talker." 

No kidding, he thought. Oddly, he didn't really dislike her, not yet. Duo had driven him nuts within minutes. Strange. He must be changing. 

"I guess I'm just curious," she mused, "You don't have to tell me anything, but believe me, everybody's going to ask, so you might as well. People have been talking about you for a good week now. You'll have to clear up some of the mysteries for us." 

"Mysteries?" he said darkly. This was going to be worse than he thought. He didn't want attention. He wanted to be left alone. 

"Oh yeah. We don't agree on anything about you. I mean, which gundam did you pilot and which pilot saved the earth from Libra and where are you originally from and do you really know Vice Minister Darilan personally? That kind of stuff. The news is all confised about it, and everybody's curious. I'm surprised there aren't reporters here." 

"Reporters?" That was a terrifying thought. He'd seen enough of _them_. 

"Yeah. The school said they were previously notified about your presence here and asked not to interfere or something. I don't really know the details. But I'm sure our school newspaper will want an interview. That's not a big deal, though. You practically write your own questions." 

He began to grow more fearful the more she talked. He had never experienced such anxiety before. 

"So?" she urged, leaning closer to him. 

"So what?" He stepped away. 

"What are the answers to the mysteries?" 

He answered in distraction. "I'm gundam pilot 01, of the Wing Gundam. We all did our part to stop Libra. I'm from the L1 colonies as far back as I can remember, and I do know Relena." 

"Wow! By first name too. That's cool. Everybody thinks it's weird that she's a leader at our age. I mean, how bizarre? But most everybody totally respects her. Do you like her?" 

He started. "What?" 

"Do you like her?" 

He just stared. "What do you mean?" 

"Is she cool, is she nice, is she sweet. Do you like her?" 

How did she mean? "I... guess," he replied in a flustered tone. "I don't know." 

She shrugged as if his answer didn't matter anyway. "Oh, we're here." She handed him the sheets of paper. "Your schedule, some waivers and a few standard forms that have to be signed by you and your parents or legal guardian," she said dismissively. "We get tons of those at the beginning of the year. You lucked out on missing some of the boring, early procedural stuff." She opened the door and walked in. 

Still somewhat in a daze, he followed Melanie into the school room. It was small, smaller than had expected, consisting of maybe twenty five people or so. "Hey everybody!" Melanie called, waving. Heero followed uncertainly, surprised by her casualty. He almost perferred the more formalized approach of the private schools. 

The teacher in the front of the room chuckled and leaned back against the teacher's desk as Melanie marched to the front of the class. The students had all begun to talk as soon as the door opened, and not whispers either. More than a few watched him particularly. He went to stand beside Melanie and glared back at them. A few blanched. 

Melanie looked at the teacher expectantly. She nodded, waving her hand for Melanie to continue with a smile. "Okay, then," the blonde girl said brightly, and gestured to Heero with way too much emphasis. "Everybody, this is Heero Yuy. Heero, this is everybody, Miss Terris' homeroom class." 

"Get to know us!" one boy shouted from the back corner. "We'll be here every morning all year long!" 

"Shut up, Eric!" a girl in the front shouted at him. Someone coughed. A binder fell off a table. Laughter. 

"Okay, thank you, Melanie," Miss Terris said. "I imagine the front office wants you back as soon as possible." 

Melanie smiled and pulled Heero's coat sleeve. "A bunch of us are meeting for lunch out in the courtyard if you want to come," she whispered. Then she left the room. 

"Please take a seat, Heero," the teacher said kindly. "What's your next class?" 

No speech? "Poli Sci," he replied after a moment. 

"Who has Poly Sci next?" Miss Terris called out. Several hands went up, most lazily. Miss Terris gestured to an open seat by a red-haired boy sitting a few rows back. "Take a seat by Michael, Heero," she said. "Feel free to ask him any questions for today." 

So Heero sat by Michael, relieved to be out of the spotlight. Michael turned out to be the president of Honor's Society and either a friend or boyfriend of Melanie; Heero couldn't make out which. Heero didn't ask him any questions, though. He already felt completely removed from these people, but whether above, backward or sideways he wasn't sure. He just felt odd. It had been a similar situation with Relena so long ago. At St. Gabriel Institute, he had felt above them all, on a mission against OZ and with luck, his own death. They were ignorant civilians. He had completely ignored Relena's hospitality, her invitation into society, had threatened to destroy her because she and her society meant nothing to him and she had seen his face and seen him arrive on Earth. It was a little different this time. He didn't know what he felt or what he wanted, but he didn't feel above anybody. Maybe he shouldn't act so haughty this time. 

"You're Michael?" he began tentatively. He remembered what Mandred said about his expressions being "scary" and tried to relax his features. 

"Yeah. And you're Heero Yuy." Michael grinned. "It'll be interesting to see how you fit in here. We have all kinds of people, but never anybody famous like you." 

"I'm just a soldier." 

"Hell, don't remind me. I'm not even old enough to properly enlist and you're already renowned. A gundam pilot. Man, that's cool. Those gundams are huge! They're awesome! What's it like?" 

He responded after a long pause. "There's a lot more to soldiering than operating machinery." 

"You mean like killing people?" Michael said quietly, the good humor supressed. "Yeah. Both my brother and my father were in the military. My father says it's a job that you've just got to do, but it unhinged by brother some." He stopped, troubled. "Hey, let's talk about something else, okay? 

"Okay." 

So they talked about the class. Or rather Michael talked and Heero listened. At the end of class Michael walked with him to Poli Sci, where to his surprise and entertainment they watched a recording of a political conference held four months ago in the colony. Relena was at the conference and spoke frequently. Heero was completely enthralled watching it, somebody he knew on television. Afterwards, everybody asked questions about her, but by now, Heero expected it. 

"What's she like in person?" a tiny-faced brunette asked. 

Heero fumbled. "She's...nice," he said in some confusion, feeling a little annoyed. He wasn't sure how to describe her as a person really. He wasn't really sure how well he knew her and he was afraid anything he might say would hurt her reputation. "She's aggressive in getting what she wants, but she's sensitive too," he clarified. 

That just brought more questions he couldn't answer. He felt that these people were prying into his life, so he just stopped trying to respond. 

"All right, that's enough," the teacher said. "I'll see you all tomorrow. Don't forget to do your reading." 

On the way out, he was accosted by more people introducing themselves and asking him questions. He thought he even remembered most of their names. He went from class to class in less and less confusion, starting to get the hang of it. On more than one occasion he was told he was "quiet" and once or twice "scary." It seemed Mandred was right again. 

"If you weren't a gundam pilot, they probably wouldn't talk to you at all," Melanie laughed as lunch rolled around and he found her in the courtyard. Michael was there too, apparently one of several of her friends. 

"Yeah they would. He's hot," a black-haired doll-faced girl laughed sultry. Heero flushed and grimaced. She caught sight of his face and grinned maliciously. "All the attached girls are cursing their boyfriends and all the single ones are thanking their lucky stars." Was she trying to make him uncomfortable? He didn't care. 

"Oh, be quiet, Vivian," Melanie said. "Not everybody's a lecher like you." She turned to Heero. "Pay her no mind. She's just trying to get a reaction out of you. She always torments the new kids." 

Vivian chuckled. 

"She should be more careful," Heero said without any emotion. "I am a gundam pilot." 

Vivian's expression went flat. Michael laughed at her. Heero smiled to himself, but Melanie grinned and somehow it became a shared thing. 

They bought lunch at the snack bar in the cafeteria, which didn't seem very healthy, but it was good. Melanie's lunch consisted of chips, a donut, pop and a cookie. He wondered if her parents knew what she ate. 

"You should watch what you eat, Mel," Michael said with a touch of warning in his voice. Heero nearly choked. Michael had chocolate milk, a pastry and french fries for lunch. 

Melanie shrugged. "Don't worry about it." 

"But Mel..." 

"I said don't worry about it!" she said forcibly, anger in her eyes. Michael flushed and looked upset. She seemed sincerely frustrated. Heero frowned, calculating the reactions with what was said. Had Michael insulted her somehow? He wanted to ask, but he didn't think it would be polite to do so. Funny, he had never been inquisitive about the state of others before, or worried about being polite. 

The rest of school went by in a blur. History, advanced biology and gym class. During gym class he was pulled out to see a guidance counselor, who gave him a stack of papers that laid out his credits thus far and what he needed to do if he planned on college, including a bunch of standardized tests. After school, he shouldered his bag with his papers and his books and headed back home to Mandred's house. 

He opened the door and paused in the hallway. There was a sense of calm as he suddenly shut the door, of comfort. He was back. He made to shrug off his bag, but stopped. He oughtn't leave his stuff in Mandred's doorway. He walked up to his room, tossed his book bag on the bed, removed his shoes and walked back downstairs. Mandred wasn't yet home from work so he retrieved his science book and began reading up on the current lesson. Some of it was new and most of it boring, but he didn't think it would take him long to catch up. It was two or three hours before Mandred walked in the door. 

"How was school?" he asked as he set a small black bag on the counter. 

"Fine," Heero said from the couch, the biology book propped on his knee. "How was work?" 

Mandred smiled at him. "Fine." 

He grimaced. "What is it you do anyway?" 

"I build and fortify structures." 

"You're an architech?" Heero clarified. 

"Sort of, but what I do is a little more technological. I work with inventors and achitechs. I make sure whatever they're making is made in the best possible way." 

Heero frowned. "Why?" 

"Why what?" 

"That sounds so dull. Why are you doing it?" 

Mandred sat across from him on the other couch. "I used to destroy things," he said. "I found that I like building them better, and I became very good at it. Why do you ask?" 

What did he destroy? "The guidance counselor asked what I wanted to do." 

"And what did you tell him?" 

Heero paused. "That I don't know. I suppose I can't be a soldier forever." 

"No. You either move up in the military or you move out of it. Do you want to stay in?" 

Heero paused for a longer period. "No," he said at last. 

"The military is an honorable profession, Heero." 

"I know, and if there's a war, I will fight it. But I'm tired of it. I fought...too young, I think." He remembered whar Michael had said about his brother, and about himself being too young to even enlist. Had the war 'unhinged' him? "Besides, you said that I can be a great many things. I want to try something else." 

"All right," Mandred said, nodding his head. "I agree. You should try your hand at something else, because soldiering isn't everything." 

"I have homework," Heero said. 

"Me too," Mandred said with a smile, and lifted his little black bag. Heero thought he saw something inside it sparkling softly, but Mandred didn't mention it. Heero turned back to his biology book as Mandred went upstairs.   
  


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   [1]: mailto:zapenstap@yahoo.com



	5. Immilie

The Mandred Chronicles 

Immilie   


by zapenstap  
  


Two weeks passed without incident, without trauma, and without anonymity. Gradually, schoolmates became less interested in him and went back to puzzling over their own affairs, but Heero retained communication with Melanie and her friends, mainly through her persistence. It was strange that all of her mannerisms reminded him of Duo and her face and form of Relena. He wasn't interested in her, but he became used to her, like the others back on Earth, and spoke a little more openly. They weren't at all alike, and she made him edgy with her exclamations and grand gestures, but she was nice enough, and persuaded him to like her in spite of everything. Michael was more like him, quiet and watchful in large crowds, but Michael was friendly in ways he wasn't, and enjoyed talk among close friends or small groups. He wasn't actually Melanie's boyfriend, as he found out, but her close friend for many years, and didn't seem to like talking about the lack of anything more. Heero wasn't overly interested, but that was what he gathered from the conversation around him and by watching their interaction. He also noticed that Melanie put out a great deal more enthusiasm than really necessary, and also that she missed school frequently and yet was not harassed by her teachers. 

Whenever he returned from school he found it more and more of a refuge. He would get a sense of delight from closing the door on the world and walking up to his room to sit on his bed. And every day Mandred would be there, sometimes arriving in the evening and sometimes beating Heero home. Heero was always asked some question or another, fixed dinner and then either left to do his homework or whatever he wanted, or else coaxed into talking or watching television or a movie. Gradually, he grew used to the routine and stopped worrying about Mandred or his situation. 

So it was that Heero walked in the door after school that day and tossed his bag on the couch in the living room. He took his shoes off and left them in the hallway by the door, and laid his jacket over his shoes. 

"What are you doing?" Mandred's voice came from the kitchen, sounding amused. Heero jumped. "Pick up your stuff and put it in your room." He froze in wondering surprise. There was no way Mandred could see him. But then, Mandred always seemed to know where he was and some idea of what he was doing. 

"Is that your new kid, Mandred?" a woman's voice said pleasantly. Heero started again. He didn't recognize the voice, but he gathered his stuff up in one arm and bolted up to his room without a second thought. Throwing his bag on the bed, he put his shoes and coat back on before heading back downstairs. Mandred would want him to look presentable in front of company. He slowed his pace as he entered the kitchen. 

"Heero, there you are," Mandred said as if he had not spoken earlier. "I want you to meet Immilie. She is back from her vacation and has come to meet you." 

Heero stopped uncertainly. Immilie sat back in her chair in good posture, her arms resting lightly on the armrests as if they were weightless. She was a beautiful woman with pale skin, clear gray eyes and long, pale blonde hair. She was not tall, five foot three or so, but there something about her presence and grace that made you sit up and take notice. A sort of beauty radiated from her in the way she moved and spoke that had little to do with her physical features. He could tell from her eyes that she was kind and compassionate, but not weak; there was a well-fanned spark of tireless energy hidden in her that shone with its own light. She smiled as she saw him and poured a third cup of tea from a porcelain teapot. Mandred gestured for Heero to sit down and he did so without hesitation. He felt scrubby and awkward next to this woman's grace and shifted uncomfortably. So this was Mandred's girl. Within five minutes he thought her absolutely perfect for him. 

"So you are Heero Yuy?" Immilie asked him directly with a smile as she refilled Mandred's cup and then her own. 

"Yes, I am," Heero replied, consciously using full words and phrases the way Mandred always did, never "yeah" or "I guess" any other word or phrase that indicated some form of uncertainty. He felt uncharacteristically self-conscious and wanted to make a good impression on this woman. 

"I have just returned from Earth," Immilie said lightly. "I met a few acquaintances of yours, I believe, when I traveled to the Cinq Castle. Lucrezia Noin, Zechs Merquise, Relena Darilan?" 

"Yes, they are acquaintances of mine," Heero replied more stiffly than he intended. He fished for something conversational to add. "How did you meet with them?" He hoped that wasn't too intrusive. From the corner of his eye, he saw Mandred nod approvingly. 

"Coincidence," Immilie replied, sipping her tea. Heero realized he had been ignoring his. There was a great deal more complication to manners than he had realized, but Mandred had been teaching him a little here and there. "I wanted to attend the conference and I ended up speaking to Merquise and Noin afterward. It was natural to be introduced to Miss Darilan. She is quite a marvel, that young girl, not uncommonly pretty, but there's both a graceful and aggressive air about her. It speaks highly of her as a dignitary and a woman. She was much surprised to learn my connections with your guardian and asked a great many questions about how you're doing, none of which I could properly answer I'm sorry to say." 

"That's only natural," he said, taking liberty to taste the tea she had poured for him. It had a sharp, sweet flavor. "Considering we..." he was about to say 'haven't met yet' but changed it to the grammatically proper "have not yet met." This was getting easier. 

"Indeed," Immilie replied, "so I said." She smiled at him and set down her teacup. She turned to Mandred with something close to a smirk on her face, though it did not detract from her grace. "My dear, you have made amazing strides with this young man." Heero turned to look at Mandred. 

"I told you he has good mettle in him," Mandred said. "Haven't you, Heero?" 

"What?" Heero said. 

"Immilie is saying you have improved tremendously in your manners, though I'm not sure how she would know." Mandred looked shrewdly in her direction, crossing his arms. "You could not do that so quickly if you had not a source of spirit and courage. You've made incredible leaps these last few weeks." 

"I have?" He hadn't even realized he'd been trying. 

"You have," Manded affirmed. 

"And as to how I would know, a woman can recognize these things," Immilie said mysteriously. And annoyingly.  Then she smiled, this time showing her teeth with a hint of mischief. "Really, Mandred, I wonder at your ability to find the best." She looked at Heero. "I see great things in you," she said seriously to him. Then she smiled again. "Don't lose heart and don't grow impatient with Mandred. He can be slow and too methodical at times.  And condescending." 

"Ah," Mandred said. "The witticism comes. I knew it wouldn't be long." 

"Dearie," Immilie replied around her teacup. "I can't help but to point out your flaws when I get the chance. We have to retain equal footing, you and I." 

"Then it is I who would wish to knock you down a few pegs, lady. You're no less than a star to my eye." 

"Speech like that will get you nowhere with me," she murmured with a regal air, but her cheeks were flushed and she looked pleased. 

Immilie stayed for dinner, much to everyone's delight. Heero already liked her, attracted by her manners and sensitivity mingled with a fiery spirit. Even in her most playfully cutting remarks she remained graceful, and though she was practically Mandred's fiance, she never ignored Heero, talked over his head or condescended in speaking to him. Heero supposed she was what Mandred would call "good." As he watched Mandred and Immilie interact, he grew happier in just remaining quiet and spectating. Their conversation, the very way they moved about each other in setting the table, was like a dance. It seemed to him as if they must have been perfecting how they operated around one another for years. He tried to imagine what it would be like to see them really dance, to imagine Immilie in a party dress or gown. That would be something to see. He remembered clearly what Relena had looked like in her blue party dress and even how she had retained her grace in her school uniform after her father had died and he had danced with her. That seemed a very long time ago. 

The dinner Mandred had made that night was, of course, delicious. He had apparently taken time off work to make it and prepare for his girl's homecoming. Heero had expected no less from Mandred and ate with relish. Unconsciously, he stored away the occasion. If he ever needed to entertain important company, he would know how to prepare. No doubt, Mandred had worked that lesson in on purpose. Heero was starting to get the hang of him. 

As dinner came to an end, Immile rose from her seat, and following Mandred's cue, Mandred and Heero rose too. 

"I must be leaving," she said with a smile. "I will visit you at work tomorrow, Mandred," she said sweetly, crossing the room and taking his hand. 

"I'll walk you to your car," he said. She gave him somewhat of a startled look and then laughed. Heero didn't understand why. 

"Of course," she murmured, took his arm, and allowed herself to be led out. 

Heero sat alone at the table in peaceful contemplation. Shrugging, he stood and began clearing the table. Mandred would appreciate that certainly and it wasn't as if he had any highly pressing activities. Most of his homework he had finished at school. Besides, he felt good. The evening had been good, pleasant and warm. He wanted that to continue and there was a soft, bright feeling rising inside him as he worked to do something nice for someone else. He realized all of a sudden how incredibly kind Mandred had been to him and how everything had changed these last few weeks. Mandred's house was starting to feel like home. He owed Mandred a debt he could never repay. He wondered if this warm, pleasant feeling was the peace other people felt most of the time. As he finished clearing the table, Mandred returned. 

"Well," Mandred said somewhat dreamily. "What did you think of my girl?" 

"She's wonderful," Heero said truthfully. 

"I'm glad you think so too. Some people find her too proper to their taste." 

"She's lady-like." 

"Yes," Mandred said with a smile. "Not what everyone wants or needs, but I like her." He looked at the table in surprise. "You cleared the table! Thank you." 

Heero flushed from the praise. It was such a simple thing. "Mandred," he said abruptly. "This has been a good night." 

Mandred nodded. "I agree." 

"Is this the way it is for most people most of the time? I feel... at ease. Pleasant." 

"So now it is you who starts initiating the discussion, eh? No, I would say most people to do not feel this much niceness most of the time, not if what you're describing is anything like I am describing. Emotions, happiness are flighty things to be treasured while they last, but not to be relied upon for good humor. You will find that if you strive to change your humor, what you are feeling will change with it. First the smile, than the good feelings. There are some people who manage to find a core of contentment that they can find whatever the situation. This is not to say they are happy all of the time, but their general outlook is one of joy rather than depression. But I think very few people can create that for themselves. But it is, I think, what you fought for in the war." 

"Peace," he said quietly. This was peace? Not the absence of conflict between peoples, but the pleasant atmosphere, the still heart, the calm mind. 

Heero considered this for a moment in silence. Some people could create their own peace, Mandred had said. He felt almost sure Mandred was one of them. Did war even affect such people in the ways it did him and most others? "I was once told to always act on my emotions," he said after a moment. 

"If the person who told you that meant to act by what you feel in your heart, it is good advice. But I would argue that emotions themselves are not to be relied upon exclusively and can sometimes even be willfully changed." 

"I'm not sure what he meant." 

"Then don't worry about it," Mandred replied. Sighing, he stretched out on the couch. "You have a kind heart. Let that and good principles guide you for now and you can untangle the rest of it when you are able." Mandred closed his eyes and began to hum to himself. He must have been thinking about Immilie. Heero watched him for a moment and then went upstairs. 

Mandred and Heero saw Immilie again later on that week and then again Sunday night. On Sunday, she brought a surprise with her. Heero was studying in his room when she came to the door, but he heard Mandred's protest clearly. 

"No, Immilie, no." 

She laughed wickedly. "Oh come, now. I think it would be good for your house. Two men living alone together! There's just not enough activity here." 

Heero sat up and set his pencil down. At first, he thought Immilie meant she was going to move in, but that didn't seem very much like her. The next moment he heard a piping shout and a squeal that he was certain belonged to neither Mandred nor Immilie. Then Mandred began to laugh. 

"Heero! Come downstairs. Immilie has something for you, or for us rather, I suppose." 

Heero jumped off his bed and went downstairs, intensely curious. Immilie stood in the doorway, holding a skirming mass of short black hair. He did a double take and then smiled. It was a puppy. A black labrador, twisting and turning in Immilie's grip. In three steps, Immile walked over to him and deposited the puppy in Heero's arms. He held it a little awkwardly, but the puppy soon writhed its way to his face and stared him right in the eyes. Then it licked his face. Heero laughed and put it down on the floor. 

"He's going to ruin the house," Mandred said dubiously. "This is expensive furniture." 

Heero knelt and stroked the puppy's neck and back. It curled around, trying to bite his hand, and then scampered around his legs. 

"Boys should have a dog," Immilie said firmly. 

"Heero's almost a man," Mandred countered. 

"Oh, boys will be boys until they're thirty," Immilie said, throwing up her hands. "Sometimes until they die.  Come.  Put aside your stuffy reservations.  He's adorable." 

Heero wasn't listening, but he got the impression from Immilie's laugh that she had succeeded and Mandred had agreed to keeping the puppy. It was biting his hand again now, playfully, and making little mock-ferocious growls. He smiled at it. 

"Just don't name it Wing Zero," Mandred said. 

Immilie chuckled. 

Heero lifted the puppy and placed it in his lap. "I don't know what I'll call him," he said, scratching the puppy behind the ears. 

  



	6. Unexected Visitors

mandred6

The Mandred Chronicles: 

Unexpected Visitors   


by Zapenstap 

  
  
  
  
  


"One more day down. I can't _wait_ for spring break," Melanie laughed as she shut her locker and heaved her bag over her shoulder. "How many weeks have we got left?" 

"Three," Heero replied deeply and without much feeling. "And two papers and a project due before." 

"Wow, an extra sentence from you. I'm impressed. Even if you do sound like death." 

Heero said nothing, but smiled slightly. Melanie winked and they walked in silence out through the commons and into the parking lot. His voice may still be dark, but he felt lighter inside. 

"What are you doing for spring break?" Heero asked her as they reached the bus stop. Melanie took the bus home usually, but it was on his way to walk her there. 

She looked down at her feet. "Oh, nothing much," she said, and seemed to be avoiding the question. "Relax a little. Take it easy. What are you going to do?" A mischevious light appeared in her eyes. "Are you going to go to see your old friends? You should if you can." 

"Why?" 

"I don't know. Maybe you could even go to the Earth. I want to go to Earth. I've only been there once and I barely remember it. They say it's really a beautiful place." 

"Quatre thinks so. I would have to agree." 

"Quatre? Oh, right, one of the other pilots. I still can't get over that. Well, I suppose it's a big part of you I'll never understand." 

"Maybe you'll meet them one day," he said off-handedly. "Relena's due to make her rounds to L1 soon. I'll probably see her." He really hadn't thought of that before, but now that he had said it, he realized how much he wanted to. He'd like to see everyone, but he certainly wouldn't go to Earth if she was going to come here. He hadn't seen or heard from anybody since Mandred took him away. He struggled to remember what Relena looked like in person instead of the broadcast images he was now used to. It would be... comforting to spend some time with her. 

"Me? Meet Vice Foreign Minister Darilan? That would be fun," Melanie said with a laugh. "Oh, here's my bus. I'll see you Monday, Heero!" 

He shrugged and crossed his arms as she boarded. Once Melanie got on the bus, Heero walked the rest of the way home in silence. He used his key to open his door and stepped inside, shutting the door softly behind him. Immediately, his puppy bounded off the couch and rushed to greet him, his little paws skidding on the wood floor. Heero knelt down to tussle with him, encouraging little growls and scratching behind his ears. Like always, the puppy twisted to lick his hands. Heero picked it up off the ground and carried it into the kitchen. He refilled the water bowl, poured some kibble into a dish, and left to put his stuff away while the puppy ate happily. When he came back downstairs, he prepared something for himself to eat and settled back in the couch to start his homework. He preferred to do it in the daylight hours rather than the evenings. 

Mandred came home around 5:30, but he was not alone. Heero looked up, expecting to see Immilie, but instead there was another man with Mandred, a much younger man, a few years older than Heero himself. He looked vaguely familiar and after a minute of pondering, Heero pulled out a name. 

"Coran," he stated in surprise, putting his homework aside. 

"Well if it isn't Heero Yuy. It is a small world," Coran said, removing a long black coat and hanging it up in the hallway closet. "This is where you've established yourself, Mandred?" 

Mandred nodded and turned to Heero. "I have some after business business today, Heero," he said. 

"What does he have to do with it?" Heero asked, remembering the tall young blonde man's abrupt appearance some time before during an assassination attempt on Relena's life. He had seemed cheerful then, almost careless, but he was quite a bit more sober now. "What's going on?" 

"Nothing yet," Coran told him. 

"Nothing," Mandred said calmly, almost dismissively. "If there's trouble in the future, I'll let you know about it. You should know that by now, Heero. This is a just an evaluation meeting of something that happened some time ago. It has little to do with you. Come on, Coran. My study is upstairs and there are some things I need to show you." 

"All right." Coran turned and grinned at Heero. Coran turned and followed him upstairs. 

Heero set down his notebook and brooded for a minute. Mandred had never lied to him before, nor did he think he would. But obviously he was involved in something Heero didn't know about, something covert. Well, whatever it was, he would trust that "nothing" was happening for now. It wasn't his business after all. If anything did happen, he would always be ready. He wondered, though. 

The phone rang, surprising him, but he got up and answered it. Answering the phone and the door was something Mandred always expected him to do, without delay, and to always be polite as he knew how. It had been one of the hardest things to learn. The puppy skidded clusmily across the floor and bit at his feet. Heero pressed his hand over the receiver and scolded him, nudging him away. The puppy stopped and looked up at him, blinking big dark eyes. 

"Hello?" Heero said into the receiver. 

"Hey! Heero?" 

"Duo," Heero said in mild astonishment. 

"Yeah, man. It's good to hear your voice. How've you been?" Duo said cheerily. 

"I'm fine. Where you calling from and how did you get this number?" He didn't mean it to be rude, but he realized it might have sounded that way. "Sorry. That came out wrong." 

Puzzlement. "Huh? You're sorry? Well, I'm actually on your colony right now. I'm doing business with one of the shipping companies over here and called the district office to see if they had the number for Mandred. I didn't know his last name, but they knew who I was talking about and gave it to me." 

Heero sat down in a chair by the phone as he listened. Come to think of it, he didn't know Mandred's last name either. He'd never thought to ask. "That's great, Duo. I'm glad you called." 

"It is? You are? Wow, no kidding. Can I come see you or something? I mean, can you ask Mandred, 'cause he told us before not to interfere and well, I don't know if it'd be breaking some sort of rule." 

"I guess. Hold on." Heero set down the receiver and walked up the stairs to Mandred's study. As he approached, he heard voices and then a great flash of azure blue light from beneath the door. Heero blinked, wondering what had caused that. "Mandred," he called. 

He heard Coran laugh in amusement. 

"What is it, Heero?" Mandred voice came clearly a second later. 

"Duo called. He's here for awhile, so I'm going to go out." He didn't think of putting a question in it. Mandred would let him go. 

"Bye," Mandred said through the door. "I'll see you later tonight. Call if you're not coming back for dinner or of Duo is coming back with you." 

"All right," Heero said. He went back downstairs and picked up the phone. "Where do you want me to meet you?" 

"Can you?" Duo said. "Oh, uh... I don't this colony very well. How about the district office, since I know where that is?" 

"I'll be there in about twenty minutes." 

"Um... okay," Duo said. "Bye." 

They both hung up. 

Heero picked his puppy up off the floor and put out in the tiny backyard behind the house where it could play and be contained safely by the wooden fence. Then he donned his coat, grabbed his wallet from his book bag and headed out the door. He knew the bus route well enough to know it would be faster walking down a block. The bus came a few minutes late, but it wasn't long before he was dropped off at the district office, still early to meet Duo. Even so, Duo had beat him there and was leaning against the corner of the white stone office building. It was in a building like this that Relena's father had been assassinated. Looking back, he realized that had been a turning and changing point for her. Odd that he would think of it now. Maybe Duo has sparked a smidge of nostalgia in him. He missed his friends. 

Duo was digging in the dirt with the toe of his shoe and hadn't yet noticed Heero. 

"Hey," Heero said blankly. 

Duo started like a spooked rabbit. "Hey, Heero!" he said shakily, putting a hand behind his head and grinning like an idiot. It made Heero smile. "I didn't hear you sneak up on me. I... are you laughing at me?" 

Heero realized he sort of had been and made his face go flat. "No. I wouldn't do that." 

Duo looked at him suspiciously. "So how have you been doing?" he said, floundering a little, grinning weakly. 

"You sound like I've been in an infirmary." 

Duo shrugged and bounded to Heero's side. Heero adjusted, turning and walking down the street with Duo on his right. "Well, you know," Duo said, gesturing pointlessly. "You're leavin' was kind of abrupt and we don't much about that Mandred guy. Relena's the only one who seemed okay with it, but she still talks about you a lot. Or so Noin says, anyway." 

Heero smiled. Oh yeah? "If you see her, tell her I said hi," he said. 

Duo stared at him and then shook his head as if clearing out his thoughts. "So how has this Mandred guy been?" 

Heero paused. "He's been really good to me," he said, looking straight ahead of him with unblinking eyes. "I knew him long ago, but he's not like anybody I've ever met before." He gestured lightly, something he used to never do, but he'd been picking it up from Melanie. "We talk, but in this strange, direct way. He asks a question you already know the answer to and then confirms your own thoughts with these profound statements. He'll talk about anything without blinking an eyelash. He seems to have personal experience with everything." He shook himself internally and looked back at Duo, finding it strange that he was there at all, listening to him talk. It was peculiarly comforting. 

Duo blinked, his face now contemplative instead of plastered with a rakish grin. "Did he ever fight in a war?" 

Heero looked out into nothing, pondering. "I never asked, but now that you mention it, I think so. He seems to know a lot, about me, about the war, about the world, and stranger things. I don't know how he knows so much. He doesn't look that old." 

"He seemed old to me when he came for you," Duo interjected. 

"He doesn't _look_ that old," Heero repeated. "He's seems maybe as young as thirty, but I can't imagine him a hair younger. I don't see how he could ever have been our age, or ever lived a life like mine, but what he says makes it seems like he was and he has. I've never asked him about his past before. And we don't talk about the war much." 

Duo said nothing for a long moment. "Oh," he said finally. 

Heer smiled. "Why don't you just come to dinner and meet him? He had some business with Coran, but that's probably over by now." 

"Coran?" Duo exclaimed. "That guy from before? Man, first Felicia and now him? What are they up to?" 

"I don't know," Heero said truthfully. "Mandred told me nothing was happening when I asked, and I believe him. He said they were taking care of old business." 

"Like that jewery theft," Duo muttered. 

Heero had heard that story already. "Yeah, maybe that. I'm not sure. But why don't you come to dinner?" 

Duo shrugged and put his hands behind his head. "I will. That way I don't have to buy my own!" 

Heero nodded and smiled inwardly. 

They walked in silence for a minute. "Hey, Heero," Duo said suddenly. 

"What?" Heero asked. 

"We just had a conversation." 

Heero smiled at him. "I'm getting better at that," he said. "When I have to." 

Duo grinned. "So I see. What's for dinner?" 

Heero shrugged. "I'll call Mandred and ask while we wait for the bus," he said.   
  
  


REVIEW?? 


	7. Matters of War

mandred7

  
The Mandred Chronicles:

Matters of War 

by Zapenstap 

  
  
  


Heero hung up the phone and turned to Duo. "Mandred says your welcome," he said without much feeling. "And you won't be the only company tonight either. Coran's still there and someone else is coming over." 

"Company, huh?" Duo reiterated. "Heero Yuy, living in a house with some guy and company's coming over. It's enough to boggle the mind." 

Heero turned and began walking down the street toward the bus station. He didn't have to turn around to know Duo wasn't following, but he did anyway, stopped and waited. "You coming?" 

Duo smiled and caught up. "Do you have company a lot?" he said casually, fingers laced behind his neck as he walked on Heero's left. 

Heero looked straight ahead as he answered. "Sometimes Immilie comes over, but no, not really. We're pretty secluded." 

"Who's Immilie?" 

"Mandred's girlfriend." That didn't sound quite right. She wasn't what one normally associated with the word "girlfriend," but Heero couldn't think of a better word or phrase to describe her in relation to Mandred. 

Duo didn't seem to think anything of it, but then, there was no reason why he should. "Man oh man!" Duo exclaimed. "I just can't get over how bizarre this is. I want to see what this Mandred guy is like. I've got some questions to ask him." 

"Like what?" Heero asked. 

"I want to know if he knows anything about war. I mean, you've said he must by what he says, but he seems too old to have fought in the last one and too young to be a veteran in anything else." 

Heero said nothing. He had already considered that. "I'm pretty sure he wasn't involved in the last war, and I think he's a lot older than he looks." 

Duo shrugged. "Must be somethin' like..." 

Heero shushed him with one hand and stopped moving. After a second, so did Duo. They were being approached. Heero caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see a tall young women walking toward them from across the street, her hands shoved casually in the pockets of a short black coat, shoulder-length dark brown hair hanging loose. There was nothing particularly remarkable about her, but she walked with an easy confidence and there was a peculiar gleam in her eye as she caught their faces and held them steadily in a friendly gaze. She smiled, and Heero understood that she knew them immediately on sight. He tensed. Duo frowned. 

"You kids talking about Mandred?" she inquired in a low laughing manner. She spoke as if meeting with old friends, or people who were at least expecting her. She was not nervous, nor anxious, nor arrogant, and there was something nonchalant and even playful about her expression. Heero judged her to be about Treize's age, give or a take a year, but distinctly different in maturity. She seemed quite a bit younger by her casual behavior. There was a contentedness about her expression, a genuine cheerfulness that was both warm and provoking. But she was not immature, nor naive, innocent or unlearned. Just the opposite. By the swift, adaptive manner in which she filed both them and their surroundings in one raking look, she seemed to be someone who knew and understood a great deal about the world and herself in it. Furthermore, she seemed to like what she saw, and dismiss what she did not like. And she knew about Mandred. Heero was at once wary, guarded, perplexed, and in a troubling state of admiration. 

"Yeah. You know him?" Duo asked in complete obliviousness. Heero remained silent, mind still running through a few possibilities. He thought he could huess her identity now, but he wanted to be sure. 

The young woman looked at him and winked, untroubled, like she knew what he was thinking. She waved a hand. "I'm going to his house for dinner tonight to pick up my boy and bring him home." Heero raised his eyebrows. She paused and chuckled at his expression. "I meant Coran, not you, Heero." 

"Have we met?" Heero asked blankly, blandly, and without preamble. He had guessed correctly, but he wanted to know how she knew him. 

"No," she said, "but I've done quite a bit of research on you for Mandred." Heero did not express his surprise at this confession. She continued as if it were nothing, and her behavior was not false. She really thought little of it. "He's always calling us up and asking what you were up to and who you were with and how you were doing." She smiled again, that charming, mischievious smile. "It was great fun tracking down all the people you've come in contact with over the years," her eyebrows rose expressively, "even some you've never met." Her teeth flashed in a grin as she swivled her head to look at him. "I feel like I know you. Unfair, isn't it?" 

It certainly was. Downright disconcerting. But none of that showed on his face. 

"Mandred kept tabs on you all through the war?" Duo said to Heero. "Through this girl?" 

"My name's Kyra," the young woman supplied, but didn't offer a hand Heero wouldn't shake at this point. "And I didn't stalk you all that much. Mandred only lost track of you twice, when you moved from the Earth to space and borrowed _his_ name," she pointed at Duo with a wink, "and again after you escaped with Quatre from Space to Earth and before you went to the Cinq Kingdom." She watched him for a moment. Duo's eyes were positively bulging. "Hey," she said casually. "Don't look so spooked. I didn't know anything about you before Mandred came knocking on my door and asking for my assistance. Of course he kept tabs on you. He searched for you for ten years and he'd be damned if he'd lose you again just because of a war. That's what he told Coran and I anyway." 

Heero didn't reply. Mandred had already mentioned most of that at some time or another. Heero had guessed he had been kept under some sort of loose surveillance just by how much Mandred knew about what he did in the war. "You and Coran?" 

"He's my fiancé," she said. 

"I thought Coran was with Felicia," Duo muttered, scratching his head. 

"You're not the first one to think so," Kyra said. "But Fa...Felicia's actually one of my friends and sort of a little sister to Coran. He lost his real sister." 

"In the war?" Duo asked quietly. 

She looked perplexed, hands on her hips. "Not exactly." 

There was a long moment of confused and awkward silence. 

Again like it was nothing, Kyra pulled a wallet from her coat pocket and pointed to a concession stand by the bus station. "We've got a few minutes before the bus arrives. Let me buy you guys some milkshakes." 

"We're not kids, lady," Duo said indignantly, putting his fist on his hips. 

"I've never had a milkshake," Heero said blankly. This woman had a way of making even him loosen up a little and relax, but he was not sure of her, and he didn't understand why she made this offer. 

Kyra grinned at both of them. "I didn't suggest it because I thought you were kids. _ I_ want a milkshake and I offered to buy you one too." Heero blinked. As simple as that? He could see blunt honesty in her eyes as she stared right at him with this incredulous, amused expression. "You've _never_ had a milkshake? See, that's just wrong." she straightened. "You ought to have been able to take time out of your soldiering to have a milkshake. We'll start with vanilla." 

"I want chocolate," Duo said. Heero looked at him. "What?" Duo said defensively. "She offered and I accepted. Heero wants chocolate too!" 

"I'll take vanilla," Heero said, crossing his arms. 

Kyra raised her eyebrows at them and grinned again. "Two vanillas and a chocolate. You got it." 

As Kyra was purchasing the milkshakes, the bus arrived. She walked over and handed them their milkshakes silently before stepping on the bus ahead of them. They followed, sipping blended ice cream and milk through their straws. Duo looked happy as a clam. Heero enjoyed the shake, but was suspicious of this stranger's kindness and paid it little attention. Why had Mandred invited people like Coran and his girlfriend over for dinner? Duo and Kyra chatted all the way to Heero's neighborhood while he watched them in thought. They seemed to click immediately. Heero took the time to observe a few things about this stranger. Kyra was very relaxed, taking everything in stride, surprised by nothing, but at the same time asking very direct and pointed questions, so it was not as if she just didn't care. She was also very confident and seemed sincere, reacting honestly and easily to everything that was said. It was a little like Mandred, only without the authority. This woman was not anybody's mentor, but she might be someone who did not need one. 

"Oh, I don't know how to pilot anything," she said conversationally in response to Duo's question to whether or not she had fought in the war. "I must say that's one skill I _don't_ have, though I have acquired a lot of random skills. I did gather some intelligence for one of my associates, but I was busy with other things at the time." 

"Other things?" Duo said a little incredulously and perhaps scornfully. "What could be more important than the war?" 

"I've learned enough to know that distractions never stop, Duo Maxwell. I consider war to be an exaggerated distraction, but no different than anything that might interrupt me in peaceful times. Sometimes you just got to do stuff, whatever's going on, or you'll miss out." 

Duo blinked. "That's highly insensitive. A lot of good people died in the war." 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm not saying I don't care that good people died, or the other problems caused by the war, but there just didn't seem to be a lot of reasons why I should have taken part in it. It really had nothing to do with me. I honestly don't even understand why there was one. I don't see the point of fighting just for the sake of fighting. Seems like a waste of time." 

Duo stared at her. 

She looked back. "Don't look at me like that. I understand why _you_ fought. I wasn't doggin' on you or the war in general, just my involvement in it. My situation is a little complicated." 

"You were afraid to die?" Duo said. 

"Where'd you get that from?" she said, still in the same calm, conversational tones. She wasn't at all provoked. "I'm just saying that if I'm going to risk my life on purpose, I'd be better off believing it's a good trade. I've done it before, and my share of fighting. You don't know enough about me or my business to judge my decision anyway. Not everyone can always make the choice I did, and if you can't you might as well make the best of it, but I had the opportunity this time, and I knew what I was doing." 

Heero sat back and crossed his arms, puzzled. "That sounds a little like something Mandred would say," he commented. Some of it. 

"Does it?" she said. "I did spend some time with Mandred a few years ago, but more with a few of his friends." 

"Mandred's friends," Heero said, suddenly genuinely interested. "I've never seen any of them." 

"Old friends," Kyra said. "Real old. They don't hang out together a lot anymore, but they'll always be friends in the way you'll always be friends with the people you fought with, Heero. Comradeship forms a peculiar bond." 

"Did they fight together?" Duo asked. 

Kyra's eyes twinkled mischievously as the bus stopped and they stood to exit. As Heero walked home, the others followed him. Kyra muttered that she didn't the know the address of Mandred's "new abode." To Duo's obvious dismay and Heero's disappointment, she refused to answer any more questions. 

"This is your house, Heero?" Duo said as Heero approached the front door. 

"Yeah." 

"Wow. It really is a real house," Duo said, mouth open as he stared up at house. 

Kyra looked at him strangely and took another sip of her milkshake. "Yeah, hey, look at that." Then she winked at him. 

"It's a home," Heero said, and opened the door. They both followed him inside. 

In the entryway, Heero removed his shoes. After a moment, Kyra and Duo followed suit. 

"Of course, Mandred would have rules about that sort of thing," Kyra muttered quietly to herself. 

Heero could hear Coran and Mandred talking from the kitchen, and stopped paying Kyra and Duo any attention. 

"I still think it's dangerous," Coran said. "You should be more proactive." 

"I don't want to frighten him away," Mandred said. "He's heady and reckless, but not stupid. He would not stand to challenge me and then I would be forced to track him or we shall lose him permanently." 

"Ah, and you'd have to leave your protégé," Coran said. "We don't want that." 

Mandred laughed. "No. My protégé?" 

"Isn't he?" Cor said. 

"They talking about you, Heero?" Duo asked quietly. Heero nodded. 

"When's he getting back anyway?" Coran muttered. 

"He's already here," Mandred said, raising his voice. "Heero! Don't lurk in the doorway. Show your friend and mine to the dinner table." 

"How did he know we were here?" Duo asked, surprised and a little offended. "I am the master of stealth!" 

"Mandred always knows where I am," Heero replied. "I don't know how he does it." 

Kyra chuckled. 

"Hey!" Coran's voice came brightly. "Is that my girl?" 

"Yep. I'm coming," Kyra said lightly, striding past Heero and into the kitchen. Heero followed, leading Duo behind him. Coran rose from his chair to give Kyra a hug and helped her seat herself beside him across the table. Heero gestured for Duo to take a seat and sat himself in the chair beside him, across from Coran and Kyra. Mandred sat at the head of table. 

"Well," Mandred said, folding his hands on the tabletop. "I see you've all already met, so there's really no need for introductions." He looked at their empty milkshakes askance. "I also see you've had a snack." 

"I couldn't resist," Kyra said flatly. Even without emotion, she sounded like she was making a joke. "The kid's never had a milkshake." 

"You've never had a milkshake?" Coran said incredulously, and then began to immitate Kyra's laid-back tone. "Tell me you've at least has ice cream. A milkshake's just like ice cream when, as a kid, you stir it up so it's smooth and creamy." 

"What do you mean 'as a kid'?" Kyra said without energy. "I still do that." As Heero didn't answer, she grinned and turned to Mandred. "How's that Immilie thing going?" 

"I'm having about the same luck as before," Mandred said, nodding his head. 

"Ah," Kyra said. 

"Another boy with girl problems," Coran said. "I feel lucky in this company." 

Kyra leaned over and kissed his cheek. "That's for being sweet." 

He looked at her. "How come you didn't buy me a milkshake?" 

She shook her cup at him. "I saved you some." 

"I'll get dinner," Mandred said. "I'm sure some of you saved room." 

Heero just sat in his chair, observing without expression. He would be content to observe their domesticy for some hours. 

"Speaking of girls," Coran said suddenly. "What's Relena been up to lately?" 

"Mars Terra Formation project," Heero said automatically. He caught the insinuation, but ignored it and changed the subject. "To make a habitable world for people in space to live in that's not earth-dependent or unstable like the colonies." 

"It's a big deal," Duo said. "But some people are worried it might develop into another war in the future, since it will make two world nations." 

"Oh well," Kyra said casually. "Another war's bound to come along anyway. It will probably just be one of many more. What can you do?" She smiled and sipped at her straw. 

"People want peace now," Duo said. "This was the war to end all wars." 

"People always say that. Two generations from now people won't even remember this war." 

Heero started. Duo's eyes grew wide. Mandred returned with dinner, setting a pot roast, breadsticks and salad on the table. Most everybody served themselves in silence, but Kyra and Coran chatted about things relevant only to the pair of them, whispering and laughing in quiet voices. Mandred observed Duo and Heero intently. 

"What are you thinking about?" Mandred asked. Coran and Kyra shushed each other. 

"Treize said that wars will never end," Heero said, "that the battles fought throughout history have defined human existence, but Relena's peace efforts and the cooperation of the world powers, colonies and citizens have brought about universal peace." He looked at Kyra. "Why do you say that wars will continue?" 

"Are you against pacisfism?" Duo added unsteadily. "I mean, I'm a soldier, but now that peace has really come, I admire those who fought for it in the face of resistance. You just seem so..." 

"Insensitive and selfish?" Kyra supplied, and shook her head. "It's not really like that. It's just because _my_ world and _my_ peace weren't threatened." Seeing their bewilderment, she gestured dismissively. "You know what? Don't worry about it. The point is that wars will continue everywhere and you have to pick your battles." 

"That's depressing," Duo said. "You really do sound like Treize. Why can't battles end forever?" 

"I am _not_ like Treize," Kyra said with some indignation, but her good humor was still evident. 

"You fought for that peace," Mandred cut in, nodding to Duo. "And would you again, if you were attacked and your peace threatened?" 

"Well yeah," Duo said. "But so often we have been the cause of wars. That's why we originally decided to send out gundams into the sun and later detonated them. There's no need for weapons anymore, no need for soldiers like ourselves." 

"True, and so Heero constantly laments," Mandred said. "And every time I remind him not to define himself by such finite terms." 

"You ask if I'm a pacifist?" Kyra said, leaning back in her chair. "No, not at all." 

"Then you think wars are good?" Heero asked. "Or that they're necessary?" 

"I think," Kyra said, pausing for a moment. "That that is one incrdible way to narrow a topic to two assumptions. I do not believe wars are good, but neither do I think that they don't _do_ any good ever." 

"I fail to perceive the difference," Duo exclaimed. 

"Who is to say what does good or what good can be found out of what is bad? Do we really know that wars do more harm than good? Would the world really be a better place if no wars were fought, if dictators were simply allowed to rule or revolutions allowed always to proceed according to the wishes of the public, if when one aggressor was simply allowed to aggress and the victims to succumb? Isn't that merely speculative?" 

"Some wars in the past were necessary," Heero said with bitterness. "But they did great evil. Many people have died due to the aggression and selfishness of mankind. Everybody has always wanted to conquer everybody else." 

"Yes, mankind is aggressive and selfish," Mandred said suddenly. "I would not dispute that, but mankind has always been aggressive and selfish. There have been many wars fought where great evil has been done, but great evil is being done even as we speak. Peaceful times have their own disputes and mankind will always be contending. Treize thought battles are special cases of history, but they are not. A war is merely a greater aggravation of the turbulence that already exists in society. The only thing needed to begin a war are leaders with the power to unite people in their aggression. Treize would have been better off analyzing why humans are so aggressive, so selfish, so evil, than wondering why they fight. The fighting spirit is a noble thing, but it is a response to something else with deeper implications. Some wars are fought to end a great evil already taking place, others to start a new one, and some to end the others. There is no 'new' kind of war. Nothing is new in this world. And nothing ever ends." 

"But all the death..." Duo said. "So many people are killed in wars." 

"What percent of people die, Duo? Think carefully." 

He did not answer. 

"Everyone," Mandred said. "We are all going to die. You can feel death knocking at the door even now as you sit in that chair and breathe."   
  
Kyra laughed as if Mandred had said something hilarious. 

"Everyone dies," Mandred said. "Whether by a bullet or by disease is no matter. Many pacifists hate war because they think death is the greatest evil there is, or that mass death is the greatest evil, or even violent death, but this is a premature idea. In truth, death in war is quicker and cleaner than most other kinds. But how you die or even how long you live is irrelevant. Even in a long life you will not accomplish everything you want. Something will go left undone, perhaps something important. You are young so perhaps you do not fully comprehend your mortality, but one day you will wake up and find that you are sixty and you have cancer. Then you will understand that death is nothing special and that a long life is not to be treasured as much as a good life. And living a good life is much more difficult, and takes far greater courage, than dying however gloriously. Any fool can die." 

"I..." Heero paused. "There are so many other things that have to be done to be so selfish." 

"Then don't be selfish," Mandred said. "A good life is not judged by how much you obtain for yourself, whether that be material possessions or the praise of your peers. But be careful. Neither is a good life judged by how deeply you throw yourself into a cause. A man obsessed with any one thing is in tremendous danger of losing all joy. It is a good thing that you have the skills of an excellent solider. If there is ever a need for them, you will be of utmost use, just as a man who knows CPR will be of use if a man's heart stops beating. A good soldier can be instrumental in saving his homeland from destruction when war strikes. It is even more important to learn the art of warfare if you _expect_ war to invade your borders at any time, just as it is necessary for a man to know how to save a man from drowning if he is living on the beach. That is why for generations mankind has trained their sons to be great warriors in troubled lands. However, the man on the beach can obsess about the art of life-saving. He might require everybody to learn it and urge that people learn nothing else but how to save the lives of drowning people. Then his skill has become laughable. In the same way, a soldier who believes that soldiering is all anybody should do or all he can do, or that dying is a noble art, even though every idiot can and will die, has lost his good sense. It is an honorable thing to die for your country. It is a silly thing to live for the battle itself." 

"So you're saying we should all lay down our weapons now that the fighting is over and involve ourselves in the peace process like Relena Peacecraft?" Duo said incredulously. 

"Not necessarily," Mandred said. "Relena is just as obsessive as Heero. One shouldn't live for politics any more than for battles. If that is just her occupation and a good cause, well and good, but she could use other pursuits as much as you pilots. May people do not like her for this reason, though perhaps that is unjust as her obsession is not her character." 

"So what should we do?" Heero asked. 

"You should go after the things you want. Your life is too short to waste time waiting for the moment to be right." 

"I've got my business," Duo said, leaning back. "And Hilde. That's a handful right there." 

"I wasn't really talking to you," Mandred murmured politely. "You will do fine." Duo smiled like a child who had received a praise. 

Heero lowered his eyes and said nothing. 

"Has our part in the war all along been wrong?" Duo asked. "Or is Relena wrong? I admit that I'm getting a little confused." 

"And rightly so," Mandred said. "This is confusing. As Kyra mentioned earlier, the result of all wars is not always bad and it is well peace was achieved through this one. I would add that there are some useful wars and some useless wars. I would further argue that this particular war was until the very end, quite useless. One thing that makes war honorable, if not good, is the clarity of the sides. In this war, there were no clear enemies, and the contenders were often fighting about ideas or policies and not over anything substantial. There was a lack of something to protect. Even you gundams came on behalf of the colonies without the support of the colonies on a political idea. You came to earth like assassins. Granted, the circumstances were peculiar, but Relena is probably correct in that much of the war, if not all of it, could have been painlessly averted through discussion. It is not always so. When Milliardo Peacecraft directly threatened the earth and could not be deterred, there was no choice but to fight him and I supported both the work of you pilots and Treize in that matter. I would have done the same. There were many turning points in the war that make it difficult to pinpoint the correct action at any particular time. Relena's pacifism was probable at the time and situation she proclaimed it, but it became useless with the creation of White Fang. When she proclaimed it, Romafeller was the subtle foe, and the support for pacisfism was increasing world wide. I have never heard of that before and it is quite extraordinary that it occurred. In most times and places, that would not have been possible. With the rise of Mariemaia, it no longer was and Relena recognized that. Her business now is the prevention of wars, not declaration against them, which I can support without much difficulty. If however, war develops despite her efforts, taking up arms will once again be appropriate." 

Duo stared. Heero looked up. Assassins in the night, with no banners furled and no support. No wonder the colonies rejected them on their return to space! But they had kept fighting, against foes no one saw but them, though they were real. That was honorable right? Yes, but they were unsuccessful then. Perhaps there could have been a better way. 

"Let's go back to the dying," Duo interjected suddenly. "I mean, yeah okay, everybody dies and long life isn't necessarily good, but surely death is still a terrible thing and we ought to prevent it if we can." 

"How do you know death is a bad thing?" Mandred asked. 

Duo blinked. 

"Weren't you raised in a church for a time?" Kyra said. Duo stared at her. "Okay, so I'm a busy-body, but weren't you?" 

"Are you saying that since some people believe in an afterlife, dying isn't an important thing?" he said dubiously. 

"Precisely," Mandred replied. 

"What about people who don't believe in God or afterlife or reincarnation?" Duo questioned aggressively. 

"They've probably more to fear," Mandred said. "They either blot out the thought of death or they are hopeless and likely cynical about it. I worry more about the former who has given it no thought, but this is a topic for another time. I will mention that if you do believe in God, you may consider war to be an catalyst in getting other people to think about God. One thing that war does, is it makes death real. Death was always real before, but war makes it obvious to everyone, and frightens everyone, and in such a time of uncertainty, man is more likely to think about the state of his soul than in times of peace when he has no cause for doing so. I am not saying this makes war good, but it is something good one can find in war, especially if you believe in a God that works to make good out of what is bad. The point is that when lots of people are dying for what seems to be no reason, there is panic and fear, not because of the people who are lost, but because the people who are still alive begin to fear for themselves. But the man who understands death and already has a healthy fear for what it entails, keeps his head and is able to see beyond the chaos. He retains peace in himself, despite whatever war surrounds him. So supported he is unshakable, and can do his job and live his life with courage in the face of death." 

"Those who are afraid to die shouldn't be fighting at all," Heero said. 

"Those who are not afraid are not courageous. Courage is persistence in the face of what frightens you. If you are not afraid to die, then you do not value your life. That's very sad, Heero." 

Duo was looking at him strangely. Heero tried to sink into his chair. 

Mandred rescued him. "These are important discussions and ought to be considered, but let's not try to figure out the universe over a cup of coffee." 

They finished dinner with only pleasant and domestic conversation. Afterward, their guests was invited to stay the night in the guest rooms, but everyone elected to return home. Heero said little the rest of the night. He couldn't stop thinking that perhaps he had all along put too much into being just a soldier and tried to think about other things. 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!! The action/fantasy will pick up pretty soon.   
  
  


*A lot of these ideas were drawn from C.S. Lewis's TheWeight of Glory and other Essays (particularly Learning in Wartime and Why I am Not a Pacifist). I already had the ideas before I wrote this. I went out and bought the book (for $9.77) just to get examples and a method of persuasion, so don't call me a _complete_ plagiarist.   
  
[][1]

   [1]: mailto:zapenstap@yahoo.com



	8. The Effects of a Death

  
The Mandred Chronicles: The Effects of a Death   
By zapenstap 

* * *

  


"Miss Immilie," Relena said as her guest was admitted to her office. "What brings you back to Earth?" 

"A mix of pleasure and business," Immilie said in those soft, elegant tones of hers. "I despise the colonies. I adore green growing things and the pulse of self-sustaining life. If Mandred did not insist on staying in the colonies, I would refuse to live there. As it is, I find it worth the trouble to visit here as often as time allows." 

"Well that explains pleasure," Relena said, shoving her papers aside and gesturing for Immilie to sit in the chair across from her. She was tired of looking at those papers, but they were important. "If I can dare to hope to be successful, there will be an end to colonial habitat and all mankind will live on a planet." 

"You speak of the Mars Terra Formation Project," Immilie said with a smile. She was a beautiful woman, slender as a willow tree with a lightness and grace about her movements and speech that was almost uncanny. She blinked her eyes and smiled at Relena. "You are certainly an ambitious young woman. The best leaders were those who determined to do the impossible and succeeded because of it. You are making quite the reputation for yourself." 

Relena blushed under this praise. "I am only trying to do what seems necessary. Every benefit that comes of it is by the grace of God. Besides, even if the Mars Terraformation Project can be realized, I will not live to see it." 

Immilie nodded thoughtfully as if this last had escaped her. "Yes, it would take many lifetimes to fulfill that task. Well, if we looked only to our own lives, very little would be done indeed. I commend your efforts, though I would still choose to live on the Earth." 

"Why?" Relena asked only out of polite curiosity. 

"Because the Earth is independent of the efforts of man and I wish not to get caught up in the achievement of mortals. I would rather esteem what my own hands and will could never accomplish, the complexity of which my own mind could never fathom." 

"Mars would only be a copy of the Earth," Relena interjected. "It would be less artificial than the colonies, which rely on mechanics and calculations to sustain life; Mars would reproduce its own life just like the Earth." 

"Yes, but you see my point. Man would take pride that they had created their own world in Mars, even if it was only a copy of the Earth, and a shoddy one at that. I prefer the original." 

Relena smiled. "I understand," she said. "The Earth is an amazing place. What business brought you to the Earth, Immilie?" 

"I am looking for someone that may cause some trouble." 

Relena sat up, more alert. "Is there anything I can do?" she said. "I have a whole network of information and an elite police force at my disposal." 

"No, my dear," Immilie said. "It is a personal matter, not a global threat. Your Preventors would have no means with which to arrest this enemy. As of yet, he has committed no crime within your jurisdiction." 

"I see," Relena said, easing back in her chair again. Family troubles perhaps. "But maybe I can..." 

At that moment, a heavy bang came on the door to Relena's office. Both Relena and Immile started. Relena leaped to her feet and Immilie rose from her chair in one fluid motion, both turning in some surprise as the door opened to reveal a young girl shaking and quivering in the doorway. Her brown hair was a wild mess about her face and she was breathing heavily, shivering as if from great cold. Sweat was slick on her face. 

"Felicia." Immilie crossed the room in three large strides, catching the girl by the shoulders and putting a hand to her forehead. 

"He came from behind," Felicia coughed. Her hair was matted with sweat. "Oh, Immilie," she moaned. "What is wrong with me?" 

"Let me call an ambulance!" Relena said with authority, picking up the phone. 

"No," Immilie said softly, holding Felicia close. "The hospital can do nothing for her. Call Mandred. He is the only one who has the antidote to this sort of poison. She will last until I can get her to him." She kissed Felicia's head and cradled her softly. "And please," she said, "leave me with her a moment alone. She is very frightened." 

Relena nodded and at once left her own office. She went to the next room to use a phone and dialed Heero's number, which was also Mandred's. She had not once called Heero in all this time and trembled to hear his voice. What would she say if he answered? 

*****

"Well, I gotta go it seems!" Duo said with a laugh. "I do have business on this colony after all!" 

Heero just looked at him. "Take care," he said quietly. 

"Yeah, I'll probably call before I go. I'll be here a couple of days I suspect." 

"All right," Heero said, opening the door. He wasn't anxious to see Duo go, but since he was going it didn't seem worthwhile to drag it out. As he opened the door, the little black puppy scuttled in, slipping on the wood floors. Heero knelt and scooped it up to keep it out of trouble. 

"Hey! No way!" Duo exclaimed. "You didn't mention you had a puppy." 

"Immilie bought him for me," Heero replied. "He doesn't even have a name yet." 

"Huh," Duo said, bending to scratch the puppy behind the ears. It growled at him, showing his teeth, then abruptly licked his face. "Maybe you should name it Trowa," Duo said with a grin. 

"Maybe I'll name him Duo," Heero countered. 

"Okay, okay, I was just kidding. Sheesh, you still can't take a joke." He smiled. "All right, all right, I'm goin'. See ya' some other time, Heero." 

"Bye." Heero closed the door and set the puppy down. 

The phone rang. 

Heero never once thought of waiting for Mandred to answer it; it was, after all, his house too. Besides, Mandred generally insisted he answer it regularly, to work on his civility of speech, he said. Heero smiled as he picked up the receiver. 

"Hello?" he said. 

"Heero?" 

"Relena," Heero said in shock. Her voice had a sense of urgency in it. "What's the matter? What's wrong? Are you all right?" All the old habbits clicked in again as if they had never gone. 

"Oh, no, I'm fine, Heero. I... I know this sounds bad, but it's an emergency. Is Mandred there?" 

Heero paused in astonishment. "Yeah. Hold on." An emergency. "Mandred!" he shouted upstairs. He very rarely shouted. "Pick up the phone!" 

"I'll get it," Mandred's voice came down. Heero picked up the receiver and listened for when Mandred cam on. 

"What is it?" Mandred said from the line upstairs in his his study. 

"This is Relena Darilan," Relena said. "Felicia has been poisoned. Immilie said you were the one to call. She said she is going to bring her to you." 

Heero ought to have hung up, but he did not. His manners be hanged; this was important. 

"I will go wait for her, then," Mandred said. "She has probably already left." He hung up. 

"Wait!" Relena said. She sighed to herself. "It's not as if she can fly to the colonies instantly." 

"Relena," Heero said. "What happened?" 

"Oh, Heero," Relena said in surprise that he was still on the line. "I don't know. Immilie came to visit me and Felicia barged into the room sick with fever and exhaustion. She said 'he came from behind.' " 

"You're all right?" Heero said quietly. 

"I'm fine, Heero," she said more quietly than he. "Are you?" 

"I'm okay," he replied. 

"Okay," she said 

"Bye," he said. 

"Heero?" 

But he had already hung up. She was fine. 

Later that day Mandred came back, carrying a limp and unconscious Felicia like a baby. Immilie came in behind him. Without a word, Mandred carried Felicia upstairs. Immilie stayed behind. Heero could see Felicia's condition was not good. She was gasping for air, her chest heaving with the difficulty of breathing, and though her eyes were shut, tears leaked from them even in her comatose state. He didn't think she had much chance on surviving even with the very best medicine. Whatever poison was in her had progressed too far. 

"Is she going to be okay?" Heero asked anyway. He didn't feel particularly emotional about it, having not really known this girl at all, but he still felt a measure of concern. 

"I don't know," Immilie said, crossing her arms. "There was a delay. We will see." Her eyes were troubled. She frowned at Heero. "Don't you even feel the slightest bit affected that she might die?" 

Heero felt uncomfortable, but he was too honest to fake sympathy. "No," he said in a tone that could only be described as chill. "Do you know how many people died in the war, many by my hand?" 

"Did you know any of them?" Immilie said just as coldly. "Did you love any of them?" 

He felt twice as uncomfortable. "I'm sorry," he said finally. "But I can't." 

"Can't love anyone enough to care when they die?" she said. There were tears in her eyes, he saw. 

"Why do you cry?" he said darkly, crossing his arms. "Did you know Felicia well?" 

"I know her," she said. "But my tears are not for her sake, or mine. I sense God's hand moving and there will be much sorrow and much hope." 

That could be described as nothing but cryptic. "What do you mean by that?" he demanded. 

But Immilie would not reply. Instead, she went to kitchen and made a pot of tea. She brought Heero some, lemon with a little sugar for sweetner, and sat silently on the couch. Heero drank his tea and tended his puppy, troubled by her words. 

In the hour, Mandred came back downstairs. "She is going to be fine," he said. 

"I never doubted it," Immilie said with much relief in her voice. "But by the struggle..." 

"A very tricky poison," Mandred said. "But it is out of her system now. Knowing her recuperating abilities, she will be out of here tonight." 

"That is very good news," Immilie said. "Here, I made tea. Is she awake?" 

"No, she is sleeping for now," Mandred said with a smile. He kissed Immilie on the forehead. "I will give Kyra a call and tell her to come by tonight for her friend. Felicia will doubtless not wish to stay here with us if she can help it." 

Because it was Sunday and he had school tomorrow, Heero went up to his room to do his homework. Like usual, it was unchallenging, but he did it anyway and then took a brief nap. He woke up at the start of nightfall, a little angry with himself for falling asleep because he knew he would not be able to sleep again later that night. Even so, he went downstairs to try and find something to do for the rest of the evening. 

Felicia was awake and seated at the table with Immilie, Mandred, Kyra and Coran when he wandered downstairs. By the look of her, Felicia might never have been ill. 

"Not anymore," Felicia was saying brightly. "He saw Immilie with me at the Cinq Castle." 

"Well, it's time for us to be going," Cor said, setting down his empty glass. "Thank you for letting Felicia rest here." 

"Try keeping her out of trouble in the future," Mandred said. 

"Right," Kyra said. "Easier said than done." 

"Hey!" Felicia said indignantly, leaping up from her chair. "I'll have you know...!" 

Cor picked her up around the waist and turned her sideways like a manican doll. "Let's go, Kyra," he said cheerily. "We've got what we came for." 

"Put me down, Coran!" Felicia screeched, hitting him with her fists. "I mean it! Put me down!" He set her on her feet and she smiled, smoothing her clothes. "That's better," she said primly. 

Kyra, Cor and Felica left with a few polite goodbyes and Heero walked into the room. 

"There you are," Mandred said. "Here," he said, extending his hand. In it was a small little button. Heero took it uncertainly. It glittered with a silver sheen, but it felt like it was made of plastic. "It's an alarm," Mandred said. "It rings an alert in my office. I got it for you when Felicia was recovering, from an old friend of mine who makes such things. If there's ever another emergency and I'm not here, use that to reach me. You don't have to say anything; it's like a pager." 

"Okay," Heero said, putting it in his coat pocket he wore nearly every day. 

The phone rang. 

Mandred fell silent and looked at Immilie. "Well, maybe you should answer it." 

Heero was used to that. He walked over to the phone desk and picked up the receiver. 

"Hello?" he said. 

"Heero?" 

It was Michael from school and Heero could tell from the choke in his voice that he had been crying. Michael was not the type to cry. 

"What's going on?" he said, feeling a cold chill in his heart. 

"Melanie's in the hospital," he said after a few moments. "She's dying. She wants to see you." 

"What?" he demanded, astounded. All the light in the room seemed to vanish, swallowed by dread. A hole gaped ominously beneath him as the world dropped out from under his feet. "What do you mean?" he said 

"She's dying, man. Can you just come? Please? The doctors don't think she'll last the night." 

"I'm... on my way." 

"Thanks, Heero." 

Heero hung up the phone with a shaking hand. His hands never shook. He turned to Mandred and Immilie, who looked at him silently. The sorrow Heero had seen in Immilie's eyes before magnified ten-fold. It seemed more comforting now. 

"It's Melanie," he said, surprised to hear the halt in his voice. "She's in the hospital. I've got to go to her." 

"I'll drive you," Immilie said. "We will both come with you." 

Mandred nodded. 

*****

Heero entered Melanie's hospital room uncertainly. She was lying on a white mattress connected to several machines monitoring her life. The sounds they made didn't sound very soothing. Michael sat beside her, holding her hand as Heero walked in. 

"Hey, Heero," Melanie said in a weak voice. "I'm glad you came. I feel just awful about this." 

"What do you mean?" he said, taking the chair on the other side of the bed. Michael said nothing. 

"That I have a fatal dissease, silly," she replied. "I've had it for years but I don't tell most people because then they worry about me." She looked fondly at Michael. "I don't like to be reminded of my limitations and I'm a little scared of dying." 

"It's okay to be scared," he said. He would never have said that to himself, or any soldier. But now that he saw this girl, lying in bed with death just at the door, his perspective suddenly changed. Death had never looked so frightening before. Where would she go? 

"You're not scared," Melanie said scornfully. "I heard about you self-destructing. And none of your friends are scared. There are all kinds of stories about Relena and the gundam pilots and everybody who fought in the war. I feel so silly, but," she bit her lip. "I'm afraid." Tears welled in her eyes and she squeezed Michael's hand. "I mean, I'm religious and I go to church and everything, but I'm still scared. I've been scared ever since I found out three years ago that I probably wouldn't live to graduate." 

"Then why do you go to school?" he said.  He felt cold inside, and wondered if his voice sounded cold.

She smiled at him. "I want to be smarter," she whispered. "And I want to be normal. I have no grand schemes that I really wanted to do, and my parents did take me on a world cruise two summers ago so I could go to all the places I wanted to visit. I don't feel bad about leaving; I'm just a little scared. The doctors say I handle it very well. I mean, I get to know when I'm dying, so I can set my house in order, right? No surprises. Besides," she said, smiling. "Once it's over, the dying part I mean, I won't be the one afraid and in pain anymore. It will be all you losers still living who are clueless. And I really want to see heaven. I read up on it a lot, what different theologians think and everything, so I'm excited to find out, but it's still really scary. I mean, it's probably going to hurt like hell," 

Heero half let out one laugh and touched her face. She was pale. "That's what I said." 

"Really?" 

"Yeah. Is there anything you wanted to do," he said, "before you go, I mean?" 

"Of course. I wanted to get married and have kids and everything. My favorite boy's name is Ted, so I was going to name my first baby that. It's so simple and cute, you know?  But when I found out," she shrugged. "I just had to let all that go. What about you? If you were going to die tomorrow, what would you regret not having done? Don't answer that out loud, Heero. Just promise me that, whatever it is, you'll at least attempt it, okay?" 

"Okay." 

"Okay. Remember, you promised." She settled back on her bed and closed her eyes. 

Michael kissed her hand and looked across the bed at Heero. "Her family wants to stay with her," he said. "So we should probably better go." He looked at Melanie. "I love you, Melanie," he said. 

"I love you too, Michael," she said with her eyes still shut. "Go on, get out of here. I'm not going to be offended." 

Heero and Michael left the room. Melanie's family was waiting outside. They'd been in and out pretty much all day. Melanie's friend Vivian was there too with her mom, crying like a baby. Heero felt a well of sympathy well up in his heart for Vivan and Michael, a surprising new feeling that astonished him. 

Mandred and Immilie were waiting in the lobby. But Heero said little to them. 

Melanie died at 8:00 in the evening, slipping from the world in her sleep. Heero felt a quiet ache in his heart, but was mostly confused. In the past, death had always been violent for him, something people chose to some degree.  He did not cry out loud for Melanie, or say anything at all, but he suddenly felt a great need for familiar voices and familiar bodies around him. He was surprised when Immilie slid beside him and put her arms around him, but he did not resist. He put his head on her shoulder and sat in silence as she smoothed his hair. Mandred touched his face tenderly and left the lobby to use the phone. 

"I've never felt this way before," Heero said when Mandred came back. He was sitting on his own again, leaning against the wall. "What is it?" 

"Grief?" Mandred suggested softly. "If it's that achy, empty feeling I know so well. If fades with time." 

Heero said nothing. "I didn't know her that well," he said. "She's just a civilian.  She doesn't know anything.  I don't know why I feel this way." 

"You still cared," Mandred said. "That's all it takes. Grief has varying degrees. I am surprised you feel it so quickly. You skipped anger." 

"I'm a little angry," he admitted. "Why does she die? I am a soldier. I should have died, yet I lived.  And this girl, who is nothing to me but everything to those who know her, is dying.  If anybody has to die so young, it should be someone without ties, a soldier like myself." 

"Ah, but that's not true anymore," Mandred said. "And who says there is any proper order in death, or that there should be?" 

Anger stirred a little more now, filling the emptiness in his gut. He turned to Immilie. "What did you mean today? When you said you felt God's hand stir? Is this God's fault? Did He make Melanie die to affect me in some way?" 

"I don't know," Immilie said. "Who can say such things with any confidence? It is equally possible she was already dying and God took that moment to strike at Felicia instead. I do not always know what I mean when I say such things. I do not understand what you mean by 'God's fault' either because I do not fully comprehend God anymore than you do. I can not even prove that God exists." 

"I don't believe in things like that," Heero said. 

"Then why are you so angry with him?" Immilie murmured. 

"Duo is here," Mandred said. 

Heero's head snapped up. Whatever tears were in his eyes were gone. Good. "Why?" 

"I called him," Mandred said, crossing his arms. "You need a friend, I think." 

Duo looked...sober, which was strange, but his eyes were bright and full of understanding. "You want to get a milkshake or somethin'?" he said. 

"Yeah," Heero said. "I'll try the chocolate this time." 

They walked across the street and down a block to an icecream parlor. Heero perceived that Duo wanted to know who Melanie was, so Heero told him what he knew about her and Michael and the school. 

Then they talked about other things. Heero asked what Kyra had meant about Duo growing up in a Church and because of the mood, he learned more about Duo in two hours than he had all throughout the war and after. The tragedy that had sent Duo on the path to becoming a Gundam Pilot was not what Heero expected and rather than multiplying his grief, it eased it somewhat. Years later, Duo was fine, and it was also true that other people suffered in the world and Melanie perhaps the least of them. Of course, it was only fair to return the favor, so Heero told Duo a little about his past, not everything, but the main points and whatever he didn't tell, he felt Duo somehow perceived. 

Around midnight, Heero elected to go home. Duo again promised to call before he went back to L2. Heero called the house since the busses no longer ran their routes regularly and Immilie came to pick him up. Once home, he trucked up the stairs to his room and lay in his bed still fully clothed. In the darkness, He stared up at the ceiling for maybe an hour. He wasn't sure because at some point he fell asleep and did not dream. 

end of part eight 

* * *


	9. Finishing Business

The Mandred Chronicles: 

Finishing Business 

by zapenstap

"Wake up," 

Heero opened his eyes slowly as the light in his room flickered on and Mandred's head peeked around the door. Heero groaned and sat up slowly, rubbing his face. "What time is it?" he said groggily. He couldn't remember now what it had been like to sleep little each night and wake up alert early in the day ready for battles. He supposed it was because he felt safe now and his sleeping habits had changed. 

"6:00 am," Mandred said. "Get up. We are going on a trip." 

Not surprising really. It was the end of spring break. For the last week all they had done was go on "field trips." They took Ted to a park, went fishing, swimming, bike riding, and everything else recreational that Mandred could come up with. Heero wasn't given a choice; they just went. Sometimes Immilie came with them, and when she did, she usually brought lunch and they would have picnics. Once, she had even spent an afternoon teaching Heero how to cook a casserole, which wasn't that difficult really, though he had no desire to do it again without the directions. 

It was strange to think how Melanie's death had changed him. Only a few weeks has passed since the funeral, and though it seemed such a short time, Heero found himself already unable to remember her as clearly as he thought he should have been able to. The solemnity that hung about those who knew her, though the sorrow remained in their hearts, dissolved in the affairs of day-to-day matters. Mandred thought little of it when Heero voiced his distress, commenting briefly only on the nature of death, that it was a complete passing from the world. Heero found it to be true. An acquaintance was stolen away in an instant, snatched out of the world between one breath and the next, and the world moved on without her. The imprint she had made, though significant and long-lasting to those who loved her closely, was like a footprint in the sand of a beach in the scheme of the order of the world, an indentation washed away by the next incoming wave. She would be missed in memory, but she was truly gone.  He had not known her well himself, but it made him think.

The realization set fear upon his heart, not for his own death, but for those he knew better than the girl he occasionally walked home from school. He began to take more active interest in the people around him, which surprised him as much as it did those people, but he was complimented for the effort. He found himself thinking often of the friends he had left behind on Earth, particularly Relena, who he realized had been extraordinarily kind to him in all the years he had known her, in many ways undeserved. Remembering the promise he had made Melanie, he took the liberty of calling her to inform her of what had happened, and also how he was doing. He felt it relief in doing so, considering the rudeness he had shown her recently. She had seemed so happy to hear from him, so surprised at the fluency of his conversation, that he was almost overcome with a sense of loneliness when the conversation ended. She seemed very far away, and the sound of her voice, the unquestioning support and respect in her tone, was a comfort he had taken for granted in the past. He found he missed her extraordinarily. The conversation was short, but did much to relieve his spirits, and he hung up the phone with a sense of quiet victory. 

Not once in all that those weeks after Melanie's death did he and Mandred ever discuss anything having to do with the war. The first day Heero brought it up, Mandred changed topics with a simple "we're not going to discuss that now. Is Ted getting fat? What are you feeding him?" And that was the end of that. After awhile, Heero stopped thinking about it. He supposed that was Mandred's purpose in the evasion. 

So it was that he finally relaxed completely, let down his guard, his fears, his miseries. He surrendered himself to merely living, and he knew that Mandred noticed, was aware of the changes in him, and there was pride in his eyes. Thus all their recent fieldtrips were pleasant excursions in which he enjoyed himself immensely. 

Today was the last day for such outings. 

Heero should have been excited, but instead he was unsettled. Yesterday, Mandred had gotten a little strange on him, falling into long moments of silence without explanation. He had not mentioned a trip yesterday, and Heero began to wonder what was going on. Why the mad rush to do a thousand things in one week? He was growing to like this peaceful, fattening life. He no longer missed the battles. 

But he felt a change in the air this morning, and it made him nervous. He trusted Mandred as he had never trusted anybody, but an inner voice warned him that something was different this morning, that the world was moving again. 

"Why didn't I know about it?" Heero said, his voice still thick with sleep. 

"Because I didn't tell you," Mandred said. "But don't get excited just yet. We are going to colony X18999." 

Heero was so startled, and in an unpleasant way, that he burst out "_What_?" and almost fell off the side of the bed. The apprehension he had felt redoubled. His stomach quivered. His head hurt. Fear crawled its way up his back like a scorpion. 

"You heard me," Mandred said. "We have some... finishing business to take care of." He lowered his eyes, closed the door and walked away. 

"Finishing business," Heero said breathlessly to himself. What about? He was not a fool. Was Mandred finishing with _him? _ Cold fear struck his heart. Surely he would not just be dropped after all this time, abandoned as all the times before? He jumped out of bed and immediately began to prepare for the day. Surely not. His stomach quivered. 

So it was that he found himself hours later boarding a small privately-hired plane to fly to a deserted colony he remembered too well. Mandred said very little during the flight, practically nothing at all, but Heero's head was already awhir with thoughts and memories of his training in this place, and the growing fear that Mandred would leave him here. But his trust remained. 

They stepped off the space shuttle and walked to the complex where Heero had been trained as a gundam pilot since childhood. He remembered the way very well; it was not the sort of thing one forgot. Memories flooded his head, recollections of a time when life was meaningless, cold and empty as the grave, but yet somehow of worth in a war. His eyes latched onto familiar signs and landmarks, his hands gently touching railings and walls that sparked memories deep in his mind. He could remember destroying certain buildings and manufacturing plants, scouting others, training in others, always training. There were no mobile suits now, not since Relena's decree, but he remembered. They passed a park and Heero very nearly gasped. There was the green field where a little girl had addressed him in a friendly, familiar manner and asked if he were lost. "All my life," he had answered, and then he killed her, her and her puppy. It was during a mission, but it had been his first big mistake in the field. 

He hadn't realized he'd stopped until Mandred walked up beside him. "I know," he said. 

Heero started, almost forgetting Mandred was there, where he was. His mind was wrenched from the past by the voice of his mentor and he latched onto that voice in love, a desire for safety filling his heart. He felt like a small child. "That was a terrible mistake," he said in a choked voice. "That and Marshall Noventa. Why didn't somebody take my life for that?" 

"I know about that too," Mandred said, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I believe Sovia called you a coward." 

"Yes, but I couldn't do anything else for her." And he paused. "Although maybe she was right. How would taking my life do anything for anyone but me? I really wanted to die then." It sounded so strange to say that, and know it was true, to remember the hopelessness he had felt, so totally different from what he felt now. 

"Hmm." Mandred said. "Thought your life was over before it had begun? Fifteen is too young for that. It's a rough time, but it smoothes out in a couple of years if only you can hold on and endure. Temperance is gained through trial. Still, it was honorable of you to surrender yourself to Noventa's family in a way. You just ought to have asked forgiveness instead of death. That is why Sovia called you a coward, for trying to escape, for wanting to die instead of fighting to live." 

Heero didn't reply. 

"Did you ever read Mrs. Noventa's letter?" Mandred asked. "The one Relena risked her life to bring you?" 

"No. I didn't see Relena after my fight with Zechs. I think Noin took her to the Cinq Kingdom after that." 

"Well, I think she still has it. Ask her sometime. Mrs. Noventa is a very wise woman and I think you will agree with what she has to say." 

Heero stood for another moment in silence. Would the mother of that little girl say the same? 

"Are you tired of beating yourself up for your mistakes?" Mandred asked quietly. 

Heero stood a moment in silence. "It doesn't really help." 

"No, not directly, I suppose, but holding yourself accountable is still commendable. If you do it, other people don't have to, and that is always good. However, it is not healthy to dwell on your failures. Learn from your mistakes and move on." He chuckled. "It's an old proverb. I didn't make it up." 

Heero smiled. "Yeah, I think I've heard that one before." 

"Ready to move on?" Mandred asked. 

Heero nodded and they left the park. 

The complex where Heero was first trained had been destroyed. That had been part of the mission, to leave nothing traceable behind, but Heero recognized a good deal of it, even in the rubble. It was not a place remembered with fondness, but not with bitterness either. He had been only a waif, taken in by strangers and taught to kill, but not abused in any other way. Still, looking back, it was no life a child ought to have lived; it had been lonely and hard and hopeless. 

"What are you thinking?" Mandred asked. 

"Was Dr. J a bad man for what he did with me?" Heero asked. "Aren't many boys trained to be soldiers, and I the best of them? Wasn't the cause good, to end the war?" 

"Or to aggravate it," Mandred said slowly. "I have told you what I think of how this war unfolded. It was not a clear thing. However, put your heart a little at ease. Dr. J was not an evil man. He was perhaps a touch unethical in his methods and motivations, but not a bad man. He was a genius and the goal he aimed for was a good one.  I will admit that I did not like him much and I did not agree with your training, but it was not so bad that I felt forced to interfere. You seemed willing, even eager, to learn all that you were taught. Much of your coldness is self-induced, I think, brought on by your own will, but I still lament that you were nurtured with nothing except the war. Dr. J accepted it; I didn't. Adults should take responsibility for raising youth to be as complete people as possible. You did, as I have mentioned, become obsessed with the war so that it has blotted out all joy of life until death was your only desire. You lived only for the mission, and everything outside that was but an obstacle in your path. You identified yourself as a soldier and of little worth. But you are worth a great deal more to many people, and loved too. You were taught many skills, but few foundations of the heart that make life worth living. I hope I have made a step in curing you of that, but it is not something I can wholly do for you. That is the worst of guardianship, to watch one that is loved go the wrong way and be able to do nothing without restricting the choices and freedoms of the one you love. However, I believe in facing the past if you are to reform the future.  That is why we are here today." 

Heero stood silently as the wind picked up and blew his hair about his face. "Why do you care about me, Mandred?" 

"How can the why of love be explained? Because you need it," Mandred replied. "If you are like myself, you will always be concerned with who loves you and how much. Everyone wants to be liked, to be loved and cared for. I do love you, Heero, though how I do may be hard for you to understand. It is not because I think you are more worthy than others that I spend this time with you, but you are _as_ worthy, and I want you to know that in your heart before I leave." 

Heero felt again a chill in his heart. How strange. He turned slowly around. "Leave," he said in a hushed, almost accusatory tone. "Where are you going?  What are you, my therapist? Is my session over?" 

"No," Mandred said, and withdrew a small box from his jacket wrapped in wrapping paper. Heero marveled as Mandred handed it to him. "But you are eighteen today and legally free to live where and however you want. Happy birthday." 

His birthday. He could always have left, he supposed, but if he had, he felt somehow that Mandred would have found him.  Freedom.  Heero turned the gift over. "What if I choose to stay?" 

"Then you may stay, at least until I am called elsewhere. I would wish to spend as much time with you as I can, but you are too smart not to realize that I have a secret business. When the time comes, I may have to drop everything and go." 

"I can't come?" 

"You can't come," Mandred affirmed. "I wish I could explain why, but I can not. It is not a mission, I will tell you that much. It has nothing to do with war or manipulation of powers or police forces. None of your skills would be any great service." Suddenly, he laughed. "I sound like I expect to die, don't I? I do not, and I may not be called away anytime soon, perhaps not for countless years in the future. If so, you will be more than ready to leave by then. Are you going to open your present?" 

Heero opened it. Under the paper was a box with a lid as he suspected. He lifted the lid slowly and looked inside with amazement. Inside was his birth certificate, with his real name, a social security card in his new name, his school transcript, two picture frames with pictures of, he believed, his parents. Under his birth certificate he found what appeared to be a family tree. There was also a letter from an insurance company and a document with what appeared to be information regarding a trust fund in his name. 

"Mandred," he said, and could continue no further for a moment. "This is an amazing gift." 

"Immilie called it an identity in a box," Mandred chuckled, "but I don't really think so. These papers don't say much about you, just your connections, or rather, connections you may want to make. I wouldn't be surprised if you choose not to, but at least you are equipped with the resources.  The trust fund is accessible to you at any time. It's more than enough to put you through college if that be your desire, or set you up otherwise if that pleases you more. The family tree I had Kyra make; one of those "errands" of which Duo is so suspicious. Coran and Kyra did a lot of research and interviewing for it, so there will be no hiding from any of the people on that paper who are still alive. I imagine we will be getting phone calls and letters any day now. You have a Great Aunt who is a family woman. I talked to her already. She doesn't seem to clearly understand what a gundam pilot is, and could care less anyway, though she marveled that you were a soldier." 

"Where do all these people live?" he stammered. 

"Everywhere. Mostly on L1 colonies and a few on the Earth, but really everywhere." 

There were a good hundred names on the list. "In the way of most families, many of these people do not even know each other, so if you wish to contact them, you must find the people you like the best and establish connections there."

Heero had completely forgotten his past training by this point. "Let's get out of here," he said. "I no longer have any business here." 

"I was hoping you would say that," Mandred said. "In a couple of years, maybe you will be like me and make jokes about it." 

"Like you?" Heero questioned, and it was the first he had ever inquired directly about Mandred's past. 

"A story for another time," Mandred replied, and Heero was not surprised. 

They made their way to the airport in more conversation than on the way down. Heero wanted to know more about the people on the sheet of paper--he didn't feel very comfortable calling them "family" yet--and Mandred was only too happy to supply what little he knew. 

On the plane trip back, Heero continued to memorize the names. "Michael," he said suddenly. "From school." 

"Yes, he's the son of one of your father's good friends from college. That was a surprise to me too, but a welcome one. Now you two will have more in common to talk about." 

"Before we leave this completely behind," Heero began, "do you think my training was worth it?" 

Mandred regarded him with that look in his eyes that had so baffled Heero in the beginning. He realized now that it was a peculiar kind of love and care Mandred had for him, even from the first, and it no longer frightened him. Mandred smiled. "You were instrumental in ending the war. That should be answer enough for you. And I think those skills will likely prove useful in the future. When I came to the Cinq Kingdom for you, I told your friends that you were good at missions and oughtn't absolve to quit them. I haven't changed my mind. Just don't make it the center of your life. You can do many things and still be the best at that. Your skill, not your life, so to speak" 

"Maybe I will become a Preventor now." 

"Maybe," Mandred said. 

The idea appealed more and more to Heero on the way home in the plane. He was not meant for school. It was dull and he had little desire to run a business or enter into any field of research. Politics and history interested him some, but politics would be included as a Preventor by nature. He would be doing something important, but he wasn't sure if the organization was for him. Perhaps he would only assist from time to time, and otherwise use his skills how he chose.

He didn't remember when he fell pleasantly asleep, the box on his lap, but Mandred had to wake him up when the shuttle landed. 

*****

"Relena," Sally Po said at the entrance of her office. "There's a man here to speak with you. He says it's about Mandred." 

Relena poured water into some of the potted plants on her windowsill. "I suppose I can take one more for the day. Please send him in, Sally," 

Relena set down her watering pot and resumed her seat behind her desk. 

The man who walked into the room was breathtakingly beautiful, though too old for her personal taste. He swept into the room with the air of a lord, a general, even a king. He smiled at her with a little condescention as he entered and she wondered if he was an important delegate from some country, though she did not believe she had ever seen him before and any gathering. 

"Good afternoon, sir," she said. "Sally Po tells me you are here to see me about Mandred?" 

"That's right, Lady Relena," he said in a fluid, pleasant voice. "I hear you have met Mandred and...Immilie too. I have some information which might be of interest to you." 

Relena frowned inwardly, though the only outward evidence of her apprehension was a small crease in her forehead. "I'm afraid your friend is outside my jurisdiction, Mr....?" 

"I am called Teleb, my lady," he said cordially. "Mandred and I are not precisely friends, but more aquaintences." 

"Is that so?" Relena said pleasantly, but her mind was churning. Not friends. She remembered what Immilie had said about her business on Earth. Relena had met Mandred only once, but he had seemed of true character and Heero spoke well of him just the other day. This man she knew nothing about, but he seemed highly arrogant, and though his words were civil, she suspected they were insincere. She wanted to know why he was here, but as a precaution, she casually pushed a button under her desk, alerting the Preventors of a possible threat. They would gather outside her door and be there in case something happened. 

"Do you know where he is living now?" Teleb asked. 

That was a very direct, probing question. "With Heero," she said easily, "on one of the L1 colonies." That would not be enough information if this man was a threat to Mandred, but it was enough to make her appear trustworthy. 

"And who is Heero?" Teleb said with a touch of confusion. Relena brow knit in uncertainty. Perhaps she had judged too hastily. "I know of no one named Heero," he said. " I suspected the Master lived with Immilie, or some of those kids." 

Relena blinked. The Master? What kids? "Heero is a friend of mine," she said, "and Mandred is his legal guardian. Heero has been staying with Mandred for the better part of a year." 

Teleb eyes kindled in interest. "He is a friend of yours and staying with Mandred?" he said, and his eyes seemed to glow. Relena opened her mouth, but was cut off. "I may need your assistance, child," he said quietly. There was a definite threat in the way he said it, and she noticed suddenly that the way he was looking at her was not the way a person looked at another person, but the way a man looked at an object or if at a person, a person of considerably less worth. 

Relena felt her back go stiff and steel entered her voice. "I am not one to be goaded and threatened," she said, staring him straight in the face, knowing that belligerence was clear in her features. She reached for the drawer on the left side of her desk and took out the small gun hidden there, barely larger than her palm, but able to shoot with tremendous force. She tucked it unnoticed in her waistline under her coat. "Nor will I tolerate this rude interrogation. Until proven otherwise, I consider Mandred to be a friend of mine, and nothing specific about him will you learn from me." 

Then Teleb stood up and his eyes seemed to flame with anger. Relena took a deep breath, feeling fear quiver in her stomach, but she stood herself, not letting him intimidate her. Even both standing, and in her office, this Teleb was still the more threatening. Standing in front of the window with the sunlight streaming through, it seemed as if he was surrounded by a halo of light. 

Relena stood her ground, hands clenched into fists at her side. "You're dismissed," Relena said with biting strength. "Preventors," she called, "have this man taken in for questioning. I..." 

"You are no trouble," Teleb said smoothly, without any sort of emotion, as if merely making a point. 

Suddenly, it was if the lights went out at midnight. Relena felt her body drop to the floor and lost consciousness, but she did not know what hit her. 

* * *

End of Part 9.   



	10. The Secret of Mandred

mandred10

The Mandred Chronicles:

~The Secret of Mandred~

by zapenstap 

  
  
  
  


From behind the door in Relena's private office came a loud thump. 

"What was that?" Sally Po said, poised on the balls of her feet, hand on the gun at her belt. 

Wufei shook his head. "Let's go in." He lifted his own gun over his shoulder and put a hand on the door. Locked. Relena _never_ locked her door. 

Abruptly there came a second sound, a strange metallic noise like a blade being swept across a sheet of metal. Blue light flashed once from beneath the door. 

"What in the world..." Sally murmured, her eyes narrowing. 

"Stand back," Wufei said curtly. Sally slid smoothly to the side. He leaped and spun, his heavy booted foot crashing into the door, kicking it open. A great rent appeared in the middle; the hinges twisted and snapped and the door fell inward. 

"Freeze!" Sally yelled, running in, gun in both hands and arms outstretched before her. 

But the room was empty. The windows were whole, shut and still locked. There were no other doors. Sally walked cautiously around the room, checking beneath the desk and behind the curtains. Wufei looked out the window, his gaze sweeping across the landscape, the sides of the building. It was a sheer drop in any case. Looking at the hinges on the windows, he could see they appeared to be rusted. They had not been opened in some time. 

"What the hell," Wufei muttered, his brow furrowed. "This is _impossible_." 

"Yeah," Sally said, staring around her with wide, worried eyes. "We'd better contact headquarters about this now." 

"And Heero," Wufei said grimly. 

Relena and her guest had vanished. 

***** 

"Okay, I've added a stick of melted butter and a 1/2 cup of milk to 2 and 1/3 cup of pancake mix," Heero said impatiently. "Now what?" 

"3 Tablespoons of sugar," Kyra said, sitting on the countertop with one boot propped up beside her and the box of pancake mix in her lap. 

Heero measured and added the sugar. "This would go a lot faster if you'd let me read the recipe." 

"Don't you trust me? I thought you liked taking orders. Start mixing." 

"Do you like giving them?" he said wryly, fishing a long handled wooden spoon from the drawer and mixing the dough for strawberry shortcake. 

"I've had some experience." 

"Hn. All right, mixed." 

"Knead dough 10 times." 

Heero did that. 

"Now divide into six parts and bake on 425 degrees for 10 minutes," Kyra said.. "We'll add our sliced and sugared strawberries and drench with milk when they're done." 

"Why are we making strawberry shortcake?" Heero asked as he put the cookie sheet in the oven and set the timer. 

"Why not?" Kyra asked. Typical of her, always throwing back words to make trouble. "Aren't you hungry?" 

"I don't ask questions about missions." 

Kyra laughed low. "Ha ha, hot shot. It's an easy recipe; one of the only things I can make actually. What else are we going to while I wait for Mandred?" 

"Right," Heero said dryly. "Because you couldn't just come back later." 

"That would be a waste of time. Where would I go?" 

A rhetorical question, also typical of her. Heero didn't bother answering, but asked a real question instead. "Assuming you don't live on this colony, which I'm pretty sure you don't, how can you afford to travel here so frequently?" 

"I have an inside force," Kyra said smugly. She jumped off the counter and began putting the dishes in the sink. 

"You mean source," Heero corrected. 

"No, I meant force," Kyra chuckled as she washed the dishes. "Or maybe I just don't want to admit I said something stupid. Your pick." 

The phone rang. 

Heero answered it, tucking the receiver in the crook between his neck and shoulder to free his hands up for writing messages. 

"Heero Yuy?" 

Heero blinked in surprise, grabbing the phone again with his hand. "Wufei?" 

He heard Kyra turn off the water and look in his direction, her face blank of all its previous humor. Heero paid her no mind, but concentrated on the phone. Why would the Preventors contact him? But in his gut, he knew. 

"Relena's disappeared," Wufei informed him. "A man named Teleb came to see her about Mandred. She called us down and when we went in, they were both gone." 

Anxiety. _Relena..._ "Teleb," Heero repeated the name darkly. 

Abruptly, Kyra snatched the phone out of his hand. He stood still in surprise, hand curled around empty air. 

"Wufei Chang?" Kyra said into the phone, and there was a suddenly a sense of control and confidence about her. "This is Kyra Anderman. I need to know everything you saw and heard before, during and after the incident." She paused for a moment, listening. "I don't care about that. I know more about Teleb than Heero does. Time is very important." 

Heero settled back, crossing his arms, but a restlessness rolled through his gut. Relena had vanished? And Teleb... He knew little about him. Duo had related his venture with Felicia to him more than a few times, and always the mystery of the mysterious weapon and the part of the crystals intrigued them both. Duo had caught Felicia sneaking into a guarded building to retrieve a stolen diamond and some crystals, but when Duo proceeded to assist her, she betrayed him and went after the original thief alone, a man named Teleb. When Duo caught up with her, her hand had been scorched as if by fire, the diamond was shattered, and the suspect gone. Somehow, Felicia oiled her way out of the situation, taking the crystals with her. The only information Duo was able to retrieve was that Felicia was not her real name and that she worked on behalf of Mandred. He also inferred that the crystals, though they would seem to be of little worth, were her object just as much as the diamond ever was. The situation intrigued Heero too, especially how Mandred was involved, but Mandred would never elaborate on any of his "secret business" to Heero. Heero had gathered from overheard tidbits of conversation that Teleb was some sort of fugitive or terrorist or both, but he had no idea of what organization, what he was after, or why Mandred was interested in his activities. If there were any files on the situation, Mandred did not keep them at the house. Nor did he ever speak of it to Heero. It was obvious that Kyra, Coran, Felicia and maybe others he didn't know about were involved in tracking him. For whatever reason, it was also apparent that they were having extreme difficulty in doing so. And now Relena was involved, in danger, and that meant he was involved too. He should never have stopped protecting her! But no, he had had little choice. 

Kyra hung up the phone. "I have to find Mandred," she said. "This is serious." 

"Why Relena?" Heero demanded. "I must find her." 

"I will find her," Kyra interjected. She picked up the phone and began dialing a number. "You will stay out of it. Teleb has no interest in Relena. He doesn't give a shit about her. He's after Mandred and I think he must mean to go through you." Her eyes shone like dark, polished stones as she regarded him levelly with the phone pressed to her ear. "You're the one that needs to be protected. Relena's just bait." She paused as someone apparently picked up on the other end. "Hey, Cor, I need you to have Falora do that scrying thing she does. I think we can get Teleb's location." She paused as Coran replied. "He's taken Relena. Just now. Yeah, he knows. He's glaring at me right now." She looked sidewise at Heero. "I don't know, Cor. She damn well better be. If we can't find Mandred, we're going to have to substitute, as you know damn well. Yeah. Yeah. You know that's not really that important. No, not her either. Okay. Hell. I gotta go." She hung up. "Pick up the phone," she said to Heero. "Call waiting kicked in. It's probably Teleb. Don't let him know I'm here or that you know me. Agree to anything he says like you're terrified out of your mind. He doesn't know anything about you and nothing that's true will probably impress him. Try to get as much out of him as you can and hang up before three minutes have passed so he can't get a trace on our location." 

Heero snorted and picked up the phone. Obviously. "Hello?" he said pleasantly, bringing all his phone etiquette to use. 

"Heero," a voice replied. It was a smooth, pleasant voice. 

"Yeah," he said, keeping the anger in check. 

"My name is Teleb. I have with me a young girl by the name Relena Darilan. She seems to think highly of you, so I assume you've been at least somewhat informed of the situation." 

"Where are you?" Heero demanded softly, but with thorns in his voice. "Is she okay?" 

"I am waiting for you at an empty building on the corner of 10th and 3rd of North side. The girl is yet unharmed, but I can not promise she will remain that way." 

"What do you want?" 

"You live with Master Mandred, correct? The bargain is very simple. I want the crystals. Find them and bring them to me. Come alone or with a friend if it makes you feel better. It matters little. Come armed or not, but come quickly. If I receive the crystals within the next hour, I will release the girl unharmed. If not, I will proceed to kill her until the crystals are in my hand." 

Heero's heart almost stopped beating. He would proceed to kill her... over an extended period of time. Torture. "Relena is a peace keeper," Heero reminded the man, "once Queen of the Earth's sphere..." Kyra was shaking her head so Heero stopped. 

"I care nothing for her," Teleb said simply. "Bring the crystals or watch her die. There is no bargaining between us. Do not bother trying to rescue her. She seems to think somebody will, but not the hardiest captain of renown could wrest her from my grasp. I will trade her for the power crystals only; no other substitute." 

"Why crystals?" Heero asked. "Why not diamonds or some other form of currency." Kyra shook her head again. 

Teleb laughed. "Only the crystals. Do not inform Mandred or I will kill the girl instantly and escape. Do not inform Immilie or any other Alfarian or I shall do the same. Bring no police forces. I will elude them. Inform no media or I will leave the girl dead. Bring only yourself and the crystals and all shall be well with you. If you break any of these simple rules, I will teach you new fear and new pain. Do not delay. I can not promise how long my patience will last before I get bored.." 

Heero hung up well under three minutes and repeated Teleb's location and his request to Kyra in monotones, distracted by the images of Relena being held captive and at the mercy of such a terrorist. "But I know of no crystals," he said with a sharp edge in his voice. "And I don't understand what he means by Alfarians. Mandred has none of these things." 

"There's a lot you don't understand," Kyra said angrily. It was not anger at him; she was staring into space and her jaws appeared to be clenched tightly together. "Mandred doesn't even have the crystals anymore. I do. I guess it's fortunate Mandred finished them and delivered them to me last week." 

"He _finished_ them?" Heero said. How did one finish a crystal? He could see Relena, tied to a chair, bruised and bleeding, but strong and proud, waiting for him... His blood was boiling. "To hell with these secrets!" he shouted, and gestured forcefully. "You need to explain this to me!" 

"I'm taking the crystals to Teleb while Coran rescues your girl and drops her off at the spaceport," Kyra said. "You can meet her there." 

No. "That's unacceptable. I won't forsake Relena or abandon her. I can't do that. Besides, Teleb expects me, not you. And he knows you, correct? What's to say he won't murder Relena and escape if you show up instead of me?" 

"I'll disguise myself." 

"I will follow and waylay you if you put Relena in any danger trying to keep _me_ out of it. I've been risking my life in battles longer than anybody. I won't step aside now. I am the perfect soldier," he said with conviction, "and I promised to protect Relena. I will follow you." 

"I'll tie you up." 

"Kyra," he said, and just looked at her. Fear ate at his heart and he knew his determination must show in his eyes. Relena... 

Kyra hesitated for a moment and ran a hand over her eyes. "Okay, okay. Damn it! Mandred's going to kill me!" 

"I've never heard you swear before today. Mandred doesn't allow it in his house." 

"I'm a little stressed out," she said, and he could hear the tension in her voice. Abruptly, the oven timer rang. 

"Time's up," Heero said. 

Kyra swore again and skidded into the kitchen to turn off the oven. She scribbled a quick note and left it on the counter. The shortcakes were forgotten. "Come on," she said, grabbed her bag off the couch, and took out her keys. "Our hour is wasting." 

Heero followed, stopping only to pick up his coat and take his gun from the top shelf of the hallway closet. Bullets he still kept in his coat pocket. He loaded the gun and hid it inside his coat. He felt odd but strangely satisfied as he followed Kyra out to her car. He had to stop Teleb and save Relena. Everything was very clear... except for how this all began. 

"Who is Teleb?" Heero demanded as he climbed in the passenger seat and shut the door. "Who is Mandred really and what's his secret business?" 

Kyra muttered something inaudible as she started the car and out it into gear. "What have you guessed so far?" she said at last. 

Heero crossed his arms and she tore out of the driveway. "That Mandred is more than he claims to be. He says he's an architect, but he doesn't say where he works. He comes home at odd hours all the time. He seems to be able to travel very quickly and with little inconvenience. He kept track of me all throughout the war, which means he must have had some intelligence system of first rate quality. He looks young but he's wise and seems to have experiences in everything first hand. He's not surprised or intimidated by anything and he never gets angry or rarely even out-of-sorts. He doesn't even seem to mind that the girl he loves wants to wait twenty years to agree to marry him." 

"Longer than that," Kyra muttered. "But it's typical for them. God only knows how they do it." 

"What do you mean _they_? And how much do _you_ know?" 

Kyra took a deep breath. "I'm in the thick of everything, as thick as a human ever could be," she said slowly, brown hair flying about her face. "I'm the leader of Alfarian lackeys. I know everything and pretty much everybody. All the important people take me into service and all the Renegades hate me. Teleb will probably try to kill me on site, or Coran or Felicia for that matter. Felicia most of all." 

"Falora," Heero corrected. That had to be her real name. "You already revealed that over the phone." 

"Right. That was her idea. Teleb knows her best of all of us. Falora Eredes is a name infamous among the Renegades, almost as well known as mine." 

What Renegades? "Why didn't you change your name?" 

"Because I just don't care," Kyra said negligently. "And I wasn't here long. Besides, Falora's always been a little quirky. She loves to over dramatize everything and tends to hurtle headfirst into danger. I do that too, but at least I usually have a _plan _first." 

"My explanation is only half-baked," Heero reminded her, trying to steer the conversation back to what was important. 

"It'll never be fully cooked," Kyra said. "There are some strange ingredients. This is a problem that's been going on for thousands of years and is just starting to boil down. I could never explain it all to you in a car ride with little time to spare, and I doubt Mandred will allow it anyway. You'll have to settle for the short version." 

Thousands of years? "Tell me what I need to know," Heero replied, crossing his arms. 

"So you've noticed that Mandred looks young and seems old. Want to venture a guess on his age?" 

"Thrity-something," Heero said. 

Kyra chuckled. "Not even close." 

"Fifty?" Kyra shook her head. "Sixty. Seventy. Eighty? Give me a real answer." Heero said. 

"I don't know," she said with a note of truth. "Not exactly. Mandred doesn't age, Heero. At all. He's probably looked thirty for lifetimes beyond lifetimes. Who knows how long he's lived here even? Ever wonder why war doesn't seem particularly earthshaking to Mandred? Do you have any idea how many's he's seen, fought in, won, lost, wrote about?" 

Heero was speechless. "I don't understand. He's immortal?" 

Kyra laughed. "Mandred isn't human, Heero. He's an Alfarian and they don't age. They're not immortal depending on your definition because they certainly do die, just not in a timely matter. Some Alfarians die at a hundred, some at four thousand, some even older. The first Alfarian who ever breathed still lives today." 

Heero smiled. "Right," he said, sensing her joke. "Who is Mandred really?" 

"I'm not lying to you," Kyra said with an absolutely straight face. "I wouldn't make jokes at a time like this. Shift your view of the world and bare with me. Do you or have you ever believed in angels or aliens?" 

"Are telling me Mandred's an angel or an alien?" 

"No. He's an Alfarian. But if you believe in a Heavenly Host or societies on other planets, this might be easier for you to understand. You don't, though, do you? Okay, then just pretend you believe. Alfarians don't live here. They live on their own world in another place, but they can travel from world to world so they're scattered everywhere. They're not exactly aliens. They're magical beings, or at least they refer to what they do as magic. It's not sorcery or witchcraft or other demon worship or anything frightening like that. They have a power they're born with and they use it to do stuff that doesn't hold true with natural laws. So technically it falls under magic. They call it _Alfaria_, thus the name Alfarian." 

"I think you lost me with the angels." 

"You don't have to understand, just listen. Back when I was _really_ in the thick of things there was a great war. What happened isn't relevant right now except that part of the probelm was that there were some Alfarians who decided they were better creations than people like us and became what we call Renegades. There was some fighting and some betrayal and before it was all over a few--well more than a few--of these Renegades escaped to different worlds. Most of them try to rule those worlds, but some are just trying to grow more powerful to take revenge. Teleb is one of these." 

Heero swallowed. If even a quarter of this was true, Relena was in graver danger than he had ever imagined. "And the crystals?" 

"I'm getting to that. At a critical point in the war some really important Alfarians showed up that everybody thought long dead. They were so old they were legendary. They were the Masters, six Alfarian geniuses from a time and place thought to have died long ago. One of these Master brought with him crystals he had made, a skill that had never been seen before." 

"Mandred?" Heero guessed, not really believing it. 

"No," Kyra said, much to his relief, "but one of those old friends I mentioned when I first met you, Ranlath. The crystals he made act sort of like magic boxes. They store power, or amplify it, or filter it, giving all kinds of assets to the weilders, making them stronger. Only the Masters understood these devises, could make and use them properly, though they are in the process of training others now." 

Heero's view of this whole ordeal was totally blown. He almost wished he'd never insisted on coming. Except that it was Relena's life that was at stake. "And Mandred has some of these crystals and Teleb wants them?" 

"Almost," Kyra replied approvingly, but in a grave tone. "Heero, if one average Alfarian is said to be a close to invincible force, Mandred is ten times greater. He is _one_ of the Masters of old, one of the six that returned unexpected and turned the war in our favor. The crystals I have have never been used. They were made by Ranlath, but sent via Falora to be fortified by Mandred. Only, Teleb ambushed Falora and stole them from her. She got them back, but it was a lucky thing she wasn't killed. Now Teleb knows they're out here somewhere and he suspects Mandred's got them. Only, Mandred doesn't anymore. He finished them and gave them to me." 

"You're not an Alfarian, though, are you?" 

"No." 

"What about Coran and Falora?" 

"Coran's not. Falora's a strange case. She's completely human, but a twist in her genetic makeup allows her to use the same magic Alfarians do, to a lesser degree. That's why it was safer for her to go retrieve the crystals without Duo's help. He compromised her mission because she couldn't reveal what she could do around him. It's a lucky thing that boy can take care of himself." 

"He _is_ a gundam pilot." 

"Yes, you pilots are extraordinary. No one's denying that. Alfarians would never conceive the idea of flying mobile suits into losing battles. Most Alfarians don't like machinery, except Mandred. He has a fettish for metals and large constructs, which is why he probably got involved with Operation Meteror in the first place. For fun, I imagine. No other Alfarian I know would ever choose to live on a space colony." 

"You said he fortified the crystals? He told me he fortified the gundam too." 

"Yeah, that's what he's renowned for. Master Mandred has developed fortification into a delicate art. He's excellent at making wards and shields too. And objects isn't the only thing he fortifies," she said, looking at him pointedly. "I've heard a lot about your missions. I suspect that sometime in your illustrious career, Mandred saw an opportunity and fortified _you_. I doubt you remember it, though. He would erase that from your thoughts." 

Heero froze, unable to say anything in response. He had always been...durable, he supposed, but... 

"I'm fortified too, if it makes you feel better," Kyra continued. "So are Falora and Coran. Someone always fortifies us when we're up against Renegades. I'm also magic resistent, but you're probably not." 

"Is it a...permanent procedure?" 

"I don't know. Mine's not, I know, because they always redo it. It wears off. I don't know about your case. You'll have to ask Mandred." 

Heero struggled, trying to absorb. In a way, everything Kyra said made Mandred more real, not less. He finally understood why the man was so odd, odd in a wonderful way, but still odd. And Mandred, Alfarian Master, was his legal guardian? Heero felt twice as humbled as he ever had in his life, and scrounged uselessly trying and find some way of repaying his benefactor. But there was nothing he could ever give. Why would Mandred waste his time on him? 

Enough. A mission was on hand. Relena was in dire peril. 

"If Mandred is a Master Magician," Heero said. "Why doesn't he just deal with Teleb? Is he not a fighter?" 

"Oh, he's a fighter. They all fight. Have you ever seen Mandred angry?" Heero shook his head. "Good. You don't want to. I have, during the war I mentioned. Mandred doesn't like killing, but he will and has. Alfarians in war are positively terrifying, even if they're wise as the Earth and gentle as doves in peaceful times. Teleb would be broken like a rag doll against Mandred, and probably the entire colony too, which is why we have to be careful. Believe me, if I knew where Mandred was, I'd find him, but I don't, and we can't wait if we want to be in time to save Relena. It is not beyond Teleb to maim or disfigure her while he's waiting. He was being honest when he said he was not patient." 

And for the first time, Heero began to feel deathly afraid, and more determined and focused than ever. 

Okay. There you have it, a preview of my original stuff. All these ideas are **copyrighted** by me, so don't even THINK about stealing them. I've purposely left huge holes in the explanation, but that's nothing you need to know for a fanfic. You can read my books if I ever finish them (which I will...someday). 

As for the shortcake, it's a real recipe. Try it sometime and let me know what you think. It's pretty tasty. 

[email me][1]

   [1]: mailto: zapenstap@yahoo.com



	11. Plans and Preparations

mandred11

The Mandred Chronicles:

Plans and Preparations

by zapenstap 

  
  
  


Kyra's car sped along through the colony's main streets at neckbreaking speed. On a highway, it would not have been overly remarkable, but Kyra drove through stoplights and turned corners with barely a check. She nearly missed four people, and only because they were quick enough to realize she wasn't stopping and leapt out of the way. 

"You're going to kill someone," Heero said through his teeth, gripping his seat with both hands. "Probably us." 

"No, I won't," Kyra said without expression, and sped up. 

They passed someone on the street corner waving their arms for them to slow down. 

"Hey, that was Duo," Heero said, twisting to look out the back. He was running after them, shouting. To Heero's surprise, Kyra slowed to a screeching stop. Heero could smell the tires smoking. Duo raced to catch up with them and Heero was again surprised to see Felicia--Falora--with him, a black bag slung over her shoulder. They opened the back doors to either side of the car and leaped in, Duo holding onto the roof and swinging in both feet first. Falora seemed to slip in all at once. Seatbelts were buckled in silence and Kyra started again before the doors were fully shut. 

"Why's he with you?" Kyra demanded without taking her eyes off the road. 

"He saw me and followed," Falora said, brushing hair out of her face. It was up in a ponytail and she was dressed in red again, a red sleeveless blouse and matching pants of some airy, lightweight material. She shook the black bag on her lap. "I've got your bag and the crystals." 

"Yeah, I'm really starting to hate those crystals," Kyra muttered. 

"They've been useful to me in a number of occassions," Falora said cheerily. 

"You might need them again. Teleb's taken a hostage." 

"That's what Coran said," Falora muttered. "Are we going to drop my stalker off somewhere? Why is Heero here?" 

"Hey!" Duo said indignantly. 

"Be quiet," Kyra said sharply. "Teleb's hostage is Relena. He wants Heero to trade the crystals for her." 

"What's with these damn crystals?" Duo demanded. "I'd think he'd want the diamond." 

"Diamonds are more durable than crystals," Kyra explained, "but they are also more resistent to Alfarian magic. The one we've got was made using a new method and is probably the best of all the power prisms, but it's never been thoroughly tested." 

"_What?_" Duo said. "What are you talking about? I got a call from Sally Po that Relena was taken by that guy Felicia and I went after, so I set out to find her. I thought we were on a rescue mission. What's all this about the crystals? They're worthless market value." 

"We can't rescue her with any ease," Falora said more to Kyra than Duo, ignoring his questions. "We'll probably have to exchange the crystals first, make sure Relena's safe, and then fight to get them back." 

"Not without any Alfarians," Kyra disagreed. "You couldn't take on Teleb without the crystals, and certainly not if _he_ has them." 

"Then let's rescue Relena without making the exchange," Heero proposed. "Perhaps with a distraction to draw his attention away from her." 

"No. Teleb will have set wards on her," Kyra said. "He won't need to watch her with his eyes and he could set up a prison around her no strength could break." 

"Could," Falora said. "But if all he suspects to deal with is Heero, he won't waste the enegy. I've fought Teleb before, Kyra. Believe me, he won't waste what stength he doesn't have to." 

"I still don't understand what you're talking about," Duo complained. "Heero, what's going on?" 

"The crystals are magic crystals," Heero replied. "Teleb's some kind of wizard." That sounded ridiculous. Duo gave him a long suffering look as if were making a bad joke. But there was no time for further explanation; they were only a few blocks away. 

"He'd be horribly insulted if you said that to him," Falora laughed. "Like _really_ mad." 

"It's permissible to taunt an enemy stronger than you," Kyra said with approval. "But don't sweat it, Falora. I've got a plan." 

"Oh good," Falora said happily, seemingly comforted. "I knew you would." 

"Coran's going to meet us there," Kyra began. "Heero's going to give two of the three power prisms to Teleb, but Falora will keep the diamond for herself. We're going to hope that Teleb will assume Heero didn't think the diamond was what he wanted since he only mentioned the crystals. It's likely Teleb will then take Heero captive after releasing Relena in hopes of making an exchange with Mandred for the crystals. Heero, I'm counting on you to make that happen. You at least have some idea of what you're dealing with and can keep low; Relena doesn't. Teleb will also not have time to set guard wards on you. That will give you some mobility." 

"Still lost," Duo said. "Who is this guy? You're real name is Falora?" he said to the girl beside him. 

Falora shrugged and nodded. "Are you going to tell me your real name, now?" 

"I want to hear the rest of the mission," Heero said sharply. 

Falora and Duo subsided into silence. 

"Teleb has never met Duo. He will go with Heero and take Relena out of the building. I pray that by this time Mandred knows where we are and will come to our rescue, but if that doesn't happen..." 

Heero listened attentively. Kyra wove backup strategies all throughout her plan, allowing always for at least two directions Teleb could make. Still, most of it seemed to run a great deal on luck. Strangely, Kyra's biggest concern wasn't what Teleb might do to them but in keeping him from running away. That, Heero understood, because that was her mission, and regardless of her own peril, the objective must be carried out. At all cost, they had to keep Teleb from fleeing until Mandred could arrive. If Teleb escaped, he'd be impossible to find and who knew what havoc he would wreak? On this world or another. Kyra was also very clear about getting the crystals back. More could be made, but it was difficult and complicated and it would be a hard stroke for the good guys if the Renegades learned the art by studying these examples. Then they could make their own and little incentive would remain to lure them into realms where they could be caught and brought to justice. 

Duo settled down as the Kyra finished, but he looked positively bewildered, with his only explanation being that which he could gather in the conversation. "How do these crystals work?" he asked. "I mean, how do I know this isn't a pack of lies and there's no magic in them at all?" 

"I might as well test them now, Kyra," Falora said, reaching into Kyra's bag. "That should offer some proof, and more comfort to me. They are untested after all." 

"You're a wizard too?" Duo exclaimed. "Is that how you captured Red Viper?" 

"Be subtle," Kyra warned Falora. "We don't want Teleb to detect you before it's time. 

"Detect?" Duo said, still staring at Falora. "Is that how you knew where Teleb was, before?" He groaned and flopped against the car seat. "This is too much to take in. And the magic. Is that why you wouldn't let me go fight him and then got me captured?" 

"Fight him? That would have been stupid," Heero said. 

Duo flushed. "Hey, I didn't know!" 

"Yes," Falora said energetically, but her attention was focused elsewhere. Both Duo and Heero gasped as she withdrew from the black bag two prism crystals and a diamond the side of a large cherry. 

Falora held the crystals in one hand and the diamond in the other, staring at them intently. The crystals were elongated in shape, like shards in a chandellier the width and length of an index finger, yet they glittered as if cut full of facets. Abruptly, he noticed there was also color in them, tiny rainbows trapped inside. Heero had seen crystal prisms or even glass windows project rainbows on walls under the light of the sun, but these could only be seen _within_ the crystal, and only in flashes. 

The diamond was more exquisite still. It seemed darker and heavier, almost metallic in its sheen. The facets on its faces were real, and so many that it was difficult to see the overall shape. It looked like an engagement ring stone, round at the top and ending in a central point like a cone. There were no rainbows within, or if there were, they were too deeply buried to be seen by the naked eye, but there were colors. A deep ocean blue tint seemed to flicker within the diamond, occasionally joined by lighter shades. 

Suddenly, as Heero and Duo leaned in for a closer look, the colors and mysterious glitter vanished. Falora must have done something to them to produce that effect, but Heero noticed nothing but the result. They looked ordinary now, plain crystals and a diamond. Of course, the diamond was extraordinary without the glittler, and Duo in particular could not seem to wrench his eyes off it. 

"That must be worth a fortune," Duo said in awe. "But didn't the diamond shatter?" 

"This is a new one. I don't know where they find diamonds like this," Falora said, bouncing the jewel on her palm. "But Renegades would pay more for one of these power prismsthan an ordinary diamond." She closed her hands into fists and extended the one with the crystals to Heero. "Here," she said. Heero opened his hands and she dropped them. "They're useless to you, but please be careful anyway. There's no telling what will happen if you break them." 

"They won't break," Kyra said. "Mandred enforced them already." 

"Mandred?" Duo said. "I don't get it." 

"Not too bright after all," Kyra said, but she smiled. "Don't worry about it. If he shows, you will soon enough." 

Falora laughed and withdrew a slender white cord from Kyra's bag. Heero watched in amazement as she somehow strung the diamond onto the cord as if it were a bead. Except that Heero knew that the diamond did not have a hole in it. Then Falora tied the cord about her neck like a necklace. Instantly, the cord no longer looked like a cord at all, but a necklace of plaited silver. The diamond hung on it like a pendant. 

"Wow," Duo said. And then again. "Wow." 

"That's an easy one," Falora said with a toothy grin. 

Kyra snorted. "We're here," she said, and stopped the car. "Heero, you and Duo get out like I'm just a friend dropping you off. I'm going to park the car, but we'll be right behind you. Remember, in matter of importance, it's Relena's safety first, then the crystals, then Teleb. With a little luck, we should be able to manage all three. We have to manage all three." 

"Understood." Heero and Duo climbed out of the car and stood on the sidewalk as Kyra drove away. 

"With a lot of luck, she means," Duo muttered. "She's left out any danger to ourselves. It seems more likely we'll all get killed and Teleb will escape clean." 

Heero dropped the crystals in his coat pocket and turned resolute toward the building. "I've accepted this mission," he said. 

"Me too," Duo said, and followed. "I just don't like it. How can you be so cool?" 

"I've got to rescue Relena. Keep your mind on what we're doing and stop thinking about everything that could go wrong. We'll never get the nerve up if we start contemplating what assets Teleb has that we don't understand." 

"Easy for you to say. You don't have any nerves." 

Heero smiled, but didn't answer. "Remember, Teleb knows even less about us than we know about him. We might be able to do more than he, or even Kyra, suspects if we keep our heads and the mission in clear view." 

"You really haven't changed _that_ much, have you?" Duo wondered aloud. "A little more open and varied in social skills, but still the same old Heero Yuy, accomplishing missions and protecting Relena." 

"Yeah, well, if harm was ever hurled your way, I'd do the same for you." 

"Thanks so much, but I might be better off staying as far away from you as I can get. It's you that's got her in trouble this time, or your connection with Mandred rather." 

"That," Heero said coldly, feeling chilled, "is why I have to save her." And stay away after that. 

Duo put his hands behind his head. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I think she likes it. Being troubled by you, I mean. Must be boring, her job." He laughed. "That's why I'm not a Preventor! Too many rules and regulations. I'm my own boss!" 

Heero looked at him. Relena liked him troubling her? Was it okay to say "whatever makes you happy" if what makes you happy is dangerous? Or was that not really the case here? He didn't want to put Relena in harm's way--he couldn't bare to see her hurt--but he could very well stand aside either. When he was near, she was in trouble. When he was away, she was in trouble. What was he supposed to do? 

"I've got to rescue Relena," he said. "Whatever else happens, she has to survive." 

"Everybody's agreed there so far, Heero," Duo said blandly. "I'm a little more worried about what she might think of that." 

Heero wasn't sure whether to smile or worry. 

***** 

Teleb watched the clock ticking in silence. The whole room was silent now, blessedly quiet and calm. The child had not stopped talking since she regained consciousness. She had refused to believe she was in the colonies and demanded to know his intentions. He smiled at the thought. A Portal from the room in which he had found her to this place had been an obvious course of action, but it was one she would never have considered. It was pitiful, the abilities human beings lacked and did not miss. The ability to travel anywhere, anywhere at all, without the compromise of time, was denied them. And how quickly they were frightened and killed! Immobile, weak, their lives were like a breath of wind, stirring nothing, accomplishing nothing. And there were so many of them! They populated like rabbits, lusting all the time, abusing their women, neglecting their children, throwing their society into ruin. That they should be considered equals to the High Powers was an abominable notion. He only marvelled it took him so long to realize it. But he was in a minority, a fugitive minority, and if there was ever to be a turning of tables, the power would have to be balanced. 

Soon. Soon he would have the crystals. And then there would be changes. Great changes. 

"Please let me out," came a muffled voice. 

He had locked the girl child in a large trunk when it became apparent that she would not sit quietly. Even then she would not cease her tirade, unintelligeble though it was. It was only after he told her that her Heero was the on the way that she stopped babbling and fell silent. It was well for her, for her senseless words knawed at his patience, and he became violent when his patience wore thin. Living in the same territory as one of those ruthless Masters had that effect on him at times. But he had monitored the boy's movements, and no Alfarians came within a hundred yards of him since he agreed to Teleb's errand. It was good this boy of Mandred's was so obedient. The crystals were useless to humans anyway, and he would keep his word and release the girl if he could claim them. He considered himself honorable to his word. 

"Please?" the voice came again. 

Teleb waved a hand and the sweet rush of power flowed through him. The trunk unbuckled itself and the lid flew open to reveal a girl in a now-wrinkled periwinkle blue suit and embroidered white blouse. Her brown-blonde hair was wild about her face from her confinement, but her face and eyes were steady. 

She had drawn a small gun and had it fixed at him levelly. 

"I don't know who you are," she said in low, commanding tones, "but I..." 

Teleb smirked and wrenched the weapon from her hand without moving a finger. Her eyes widened in shocked amazement, but she had no time to move or comment because Teleb smashed the handle of the gun into the side of her head from where he stood twenty feet away. He moved nothing but his eyes this time. The girl collapsed back into the trunk. 

Teleb supposed he would have to revive and move the child soon so that the exchange could be made in good faith. He smiled as one of his alarms around the building was triggered. The boy had arrived. Excellent. He hated delays. 

  
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	12. Steel and Fire

mandred12 

The Mandred Chronicles 

Steel and Fire 

By Zapenstap 

  
  
  


Relena's head fell back against the hard wood with a thump and she stifled a cry as the lid snapped shut. Darkness consumed everything. She sat still for several minutes merely breathing, adjusting her eyes to the darkness within the trunk. Her heart beat painfully in her chest and the blood pounded loudly in her ears. The absolute blackness and stifling confinement was terrifying, but she breathed and stared and slowly grew calmer. Even when she was sure her eyes were completely dialated she could make out nothing, but her senses told her the dimensions of the box. Her legs were bent, but not completely folded, and there was space around her head and torso for her arms to move. She could shift and turn around, but she could not sit up or do much else. It was like being trapped in the trunk of a car, and she could not get out. Best not to think of that. 

_Courage, Relena_, she told herself, breathed again and closed her eyes. The minute she did she saw Heero's face, as she had last seen him, shadowed but beautiful. He always made her feel calmer, braver. He was not here, but he was coming. He would rescue her, somehow; he always did. But she was afraid for him to come, and felt horribly selfish for wanting him to. 

Why was she here? She could only assume she was bait, an arbitrary victim and a means to some greater purpose. She certainly had no comprehension of her situation, and knew she had no importance in it. Who was this Teleb who had taken her? He had done...something when she pulled a gun on him. It had left her hand, but she had not dropped the weapon; her grip had been steady, she was sure of it. No, it was like some sudden force ripped her fingers apart and shoved her. She had felt the pain in her head of being struck, could feel the bump even now, but she had seen nothing. One moment she had been facing an enemy with a steady hand, the next she had fallen back into her dark confinement, unconscious. It was like magic. Now she was both devoid of a weapon and her freedom. That's where her retaliation had gotten her, but she was not sorry she had tried, nor even that she had resorted to threat of violence. She was exceedingly angry, angrier even than she had been at Lady Une for the assassintion of her foster father, and the angrier still because she did not know why her life was being threatened. 

Abruptly, the lid to her prison was opened. Relena blinked as light flooded her eyes, surprised. Teleb was crouched beside the trunk, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped in front of him. There was nothing readable in his expression, but he seemed to be considering her, studying her, even as she studied him. She sat up, wiggling her legs beneath her, and leaning back away from him. His eyes were glued to her, dark, glittering eyes set in a face almost too beautiful for a man. 

"You are not afraid," he stated almost pleasantly, "or perhaps you are too bewildered to be frightened?" A small smile appeared on his face, a smile not reflected in his eyes. Those eyes scared her, but she fought to conceal her fear. "That may prove unfortunate for you, " he said softly, and added with an underlying hiss, "you would do better to be afraid." 

Relena's heart quickened in her chest and she could feel her limbs shaking, but her mind was steady and clear. Perhaps a diplomatic approach would yeild more than her last attempt to level the playing field. Could he see her planning in her expression? "I ask only why I am your captive," she said in her most congenial business tones. She could see clearly now that Teleb, whoever he was, was not one to be moved by pity or compassion, nor by threat or courage. Whatever his business with her, it was only that; business. 

"I am making an exchange," he said, still in those same pleasant tones, eerie to her ears. "You for my crystals. If there are no hitches, you will not be harmed, so be a good obedient girl and play the role you were meant to play. No outbursts of personality, no acts of bravery. Do nothing to compromise your own position, and you will be safe. No one will think ill of you if you do that." To her horror, he reached out and stroked her cheek with one finger. "I've heard about you. If you will not be docile, I will make you docile, so be a good little girl and act your age, my dear. Remember, you are young and have much to live for, for as long as your short life allows. Do not think of compromising yourself." She opened her mouth, trembling, but he silenced her with an added whisper. "Do not think of it." There seemed to be a hollow quality in his words; they rung strangely in her head. Her mind seemed to be sinking into sleep. Was he glowing? 

Relena swallowed and her mind retreated even as she stared at him. _Fight, fight, fight_, a voice cried at her, and somehow, inwardly, she woke herself up. Inside, she fumed and stomped her feet and recoiled in horror from this man's gentle, yet horrifying words. Her head nodded with sleep, but she would not give in. She refused to give up, even admist fire and death she would not give up, even if it meant defiance to powers beyond and above her, she would work as she could. Yes, she had been in this place before. In all her rage, a line of reason burrowed its way from her heart to her brain and a veil of diplomacy dropped over her face. Her passions, her fears, her emotions, slowly separated from the rest of her, from the gentle reason of her mind. 

She awoke suddenly. He was smiling at her. "You do have some control," he murmured. "I think I'll let you keep it if you behave." 

"I understand you," she said smoothly, not with the quail of a child or the tremble of frightened hostage, but the steady tones of a woman who knew her situation was a compromise whatever she did. "I will be good." 

He turned his head slightly, eyes still boring into her. "Don't think yourself too clever. You are no mystery. I will be watching you. Now get out. The time draws nigh." 

Relena stood on command and smoothed her skirt and coat. Teleb rose and provided a pathway for her, though despite his courtesy, his eyes had not changed. Swallowing, she stepped lightly from her box and walked to where he directed, taking in what she could of her surroundings, noting all exits and assets. 

"Sit in the chair," he said, waving at a wooden chair sitting alone and forlorn in the corner. She sat and folded her hands in her lap. "There's a girl," Teleb said with some amusement. "You handle your fear well, but I see the glare in your eye. Be patient. You will not have to wait long. Your _Heero_ is coming." 

Relena did not respond, but sat quietly. She knew immediately that she was nothing to Teleb, whoever he was. He regarded her as one might regard a slave or a servant, perhaps less. He wanted crystals, he had said, and Heero was somehow bringing them. It had to have something to do with Mandred. But she also knew that Heero would never aide a dangerous enemy, not even for her, and certainly not at Mandred's expense. 

If anything happened to Heero because of her, anything at all... Her hands twisted in her lap. _Oh God, Heero. Please be careful._ When was Heero ever careful? She hadn't seen him in months and it felt like years. She began to tremble in anxiety, watching Teleb leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes hawk-like on the entryway. Relena sat and thought furiously. 

***** 

Heero and Duo approached the entrance to the building side by side. "It looks deserted," Duo muttered. 

"No," Heero disagreed. "Someone was smoking here," he said, kicking a stub lying on the ground. "I doubt it was Teleb." 

Duo grumbled in assent, folding his arms. "He had minions when Felicia, er... Falora, and I went after him before. I guess it's not unlikely he hired some more, or found the same ones, though I doubt _that _after the beating I gave them." He chuckled. "Still, I don't see why he would need them." 

"I don't either," Heero said, "not if he's as powerful as Kyra claims." 

"Teleb should be expecting us, so his minions shouldn't give us any trouble," Duo postulated. 

Heero frowned. "Maybe not, but I'm not so sure. Why have minions at all?" 

Heero and Duo walked cautiously to the glass doors and pushed them open without incident. As they entered the establishment, Heero caught the sounds of movement in hidden places scattered throughout the hallway. They were being watched. Duo's ease melted away as he too caught the subtle movement in secluded corners. Heero counted, separating the sounds. Three, four, five, hidden people, and at least one on the balcony above them. Six watchers. 

"There are four or five people watching us," Duo said under his breath. 

"Six," Heero corrected. "And they're hostile. You have a weapon?" Duo nodded. "Then be ready," Heero whispered. They continued to walk as if they had noticed nothing, but every alert system Heero possessed was operational, and his fingers itched toward his gun. 

The silence seemed to stretch in all directions. The sounds off their footfalls, even their very breath, seemed to echo alarmingly. The tension stretched out like taut wire, a web of thick anxiety devouring the oxygen, suffocating them. Duo's eyes darted from side to side, but he walked steadily, keeping his head up and his hands still at his sides. Heero breathed easily and walked more fluidly. Danger warnings beat in time with his heart. He could feel rhythm in the stillness. 

A gun shot exploded the silence. 

Abruptly, men jumped from behind counters and corners, above railings and striding through the very door they entered. Heero and Duo neither stopped nor slowed, but guns came smoothly to their hands. Shots fired from all points of the room. The man closest to Heero went down with one bullet in his chest before he could even raise an arm. Vaguely, he noted Duo taking out the man on the balcony. Several shots fired past Heero on the left and from behind, but all missed as he ducked and rolled behind a pillar only to come up to one knee again. The man behind the counter went down after firing six shots at Duo and himself. Propping himself up lightly, Heero returned fire; one was sufficient. He fell back again and scanned the room for Duo. He spotted him crouched in a doorway on the opposite side of the room, a man lying unconscious at his feet. Heero had seen Duo elbow him in the face while ducking for cover. The two men who entered from behind had taken cover as well, but not well enough. One man he could not reach, hidden behind a bit of wall that stuck out from a hallway on his right. The other was safely out of Duo's sights, but not Heero's, provided the other man didn't shoot him first. 

Heero glanced in Duo's direction and an understanding passed tacitly between them. Heero rose to both feet quietly and without caution or preparation, stepped from behind his cover and shot Duo's assailant. He went down with one bullet in the head, his gun clattering to the floor. The man behind the wall raised an arm and weapon to Heero with nothing to block his path and Heero's back to him, but before the shot could be fired, Duo's weapon rang out and he too collapsed. 

All enemies were cleared. 

"Not enough to take down two gundam pilots," Duo muttered, but he sounded a little shaky. "Is Teleb shortcutting on this deal?" 

Heero tucked his gun in his belt behind his coat and surveyed the scene. "No. He has no interest in Relena. If this was a test, I think we passed." 

"A test, huh? Yeah, well it's not over yet," Duo said. "Have you ever killed anyone like this before, Heero?" he added more quietly. 

"Yeah," Heero said quietly. "But not for a long time." His heart felt strangely numb, but not in a sickening way. He had a job to do. "Come on. He's waiting." 

They passed down the rest of the hall with confidence and nothing hindered them. Nor did Heero sense anything. Six was a poor number to send to destroy anyone with any battle experience, but perhaps Teleb knew nothing about them, or knew only rumors. It had to be a test. The question was, what conclusions would Teleb now draw, and what action would he take as a result of those conclusions? 

There was only one clear direction to go and Heero and Duo took it, straight to the main conference room for whatever businesses this building used to house. The large double doors were shut and locked, but Heero knew Teleb was in there. He could almost feel Relena on the other side, and he could always sense the presence of his enemy. Heero lifted his gun to the locked doors, but Duo touched his arm. Heero paused as Duo withdrew from his coat a small box. Flipping open the lid, he withdrew a thin sturdy wire with an odd contraption attached to it. 

"Lockpick," Heero murmured in recognition. Duo grinned and Heero crossed his arms as Duo knelt before the double doors and inserted the small wire. Perhaps a minute of increasing impatience and they both heard a distinct click. Duo withdrew his tool and deposited the entire kit back in his coat. 

At that moment, Heero heard somebody approaching from behind. 

As Duo rose to his feet, Heero whipped his gun out from behind his back and twisted on his feet until he was face to face with his new enemy, gun in hand. 

Kyra and Falora's head's snapped up and Falora took a step backward, but they said nothing. Kyra's eyes darted to the left, out of sight from the door, and Heero nodded. Falora followed Kyra and they vanished from the sightpath into the hallway. They were backup, and disaster if they were discovered before the propper time. 

Heero turned again and met Duo in the eye. Heero nodded and Duo pushed open the unlocked doors. 

The double doors swung inward, revealing a large room with overhanging light and a few trunks and cases. Whatever furniture had once occupied it had been removed, save one. Heero's eyes were immediately drawn to the back of the room where a girl sat stiff and still in a plain wooden chair. Other than rumpled clothes and a smallish bruise on one side of her head, she looked unharmed. But he could see an iron will in her eyes, stern and commanding, fueled by a boiling rage. And beneath that, anxiety, a fear quelled by the same will that tamed her rage. And that was focused on him. Indeed, her eyes seemed glued to him, and hope glimmered there as he smiled reassuringly. The anxiety he saw did not abate. She was afraid for him, not herself. 

Teleb had not escaped his attention. He overshadowed the room, though his size was not remarkable. His body was a perfect form, tall, broad and trim, and the light of youth glowed in his face. But age and wisdom lingered also in his eyes and expression, blank though it was, and he seemed to have a mastery over himself quite astounding. There was also a sense of power and authority about his person, a confidence unchallengeable. In all of this he was like Mandred, but there was no benevolence in him, no kindness or good will toward others even of his own kind. The way he looked at Heero and Duo might have better been left unsaid, for it was condescending and insulting, but in it there remained a glimmer of truth, for Heero knew instantly that Teleb indeed, and Mandred too, was above him. But from this man, as it had never been with Mandred, he did not like it. 

"You defeated my guards, so you are no fools. You've brought my crystals?" Teleb said. His voice was smooth like music, and there was no weakness in it. 

"I have," Heero said in answer to both questions, and reached into his pocket. He lifted out his hand and revealed the crystals, but he did not let go of them. "Release Relena," he said, "and I will toss them to you." 

"If you promise to let us escape unharmed," Duo added, and there was a tinge of fright in his voice. 

Teleb chuckled. "The girl is free to go. I am not restraining her." 

Relena looked at Teleb and, swallowing visibly, stood and took several paces in Heero's direction, though her eyes darted once or twice in the direction of her captor. Teleb waved her away and held out his hand. When Relena was within a few feet of him, Heero reached out and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her close. He squeezed her briefly, feeling her tremble against him. "Just escape," he whispered fiercely in her ear, his face buried into her hair. "This man is an Alfarian, a magician of sorts, and he is dangerous. Do you hear me?" Relena nodded her head silently, but still she trembled. He passed her over the Duo, forcibly having to push her away, for her hands clung to his jacket. 

Gritting his teeth, Heero tossed the crystals into the air. At the exact same instant they left his hand, Teleb shouted suddenly in some other language, surging to his feet. Fire seemed to blaze about him, but was swallowed by a flash of light that burst from the doorway behind Heero. 

Heero ducked, shrinking from the explosion and the light equally, amazed as all Hell broke loose.   
  
  
  
  
  
  


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	13. All Things Magical

The Mandred Chronicles: 

All Things Magical 

by zapenstap 

  
  
  
  


The crystals left Heero's hand in an easy toss, sailing in a gentle arch into the air. They flashed in the light, and even seemed to gleam when no light reflected off their facets. Teleb's eyes followed them ravenously, his lust glimmering with unsatiable hunger. Then, to Heero's wonder, an aura of soft white light sprange up around Teleb's form. It burned with intensity, a halo of magic pulsing from the power he now weilded. The crystals halted in mid-flight and changed their direction, almost as if they were being sucked forcibly into Teleb's open hand. Suddenly, Teleb's head snapped up and he snarled as if sensing something. Heero distinctly heard Kyra curse. 

"Not for you, Renegade!" Falora's voice yelled suddenly from the hallway. 

A sheet of yellow fire sprang suddenly up between Teleb and his prize, ripping the glittering prisms away from whatever spell he had cast to ensnared them. At this sudden intervention, Teleb turned toward the doorway and snarled like a rabid beast, staring straight passed Heero into the hallway. "Falora Eredes," he hissed, and his eyes glowed balefully. "And Kyra Anderman." He raised a hand that crackled suddenly with white fire. 

"Oh, God!" Duo cried, still holding Relena's arms, staring with wild eyes and the bright flashing wall between them and Teleb. "This plan is shot. Heero! We're in the way. We'll all be killed!" 

"What are you still doing here?" Heero shouted back at him. "Get her out of here, damn you, or I'll kill you myself!" 

But there was little time for movement of any kind as Falora shot into the room and skidded across the floor. Kyra trotted in after her, but moved to the other side of the room, safely out of the way. The crystals shifted direction in the air and floated into Falora's hand as she straightened with the grace of gymnast. Her fist closed around them and blazed with light. She smiled in triumph. No glow of white surrounded her like it did Teleb, but Heero had no doubts that some strange power coursed through her veins. "Here I am," she shouted defiantly at the Renegade, lifting her eyes to meet his, her voice edged with mockery. "Let's finish what we began at Elendros!" 

Teleb laughed low in amusement as he walked calmly forward. The wall of yellow light vanished with a spark as he touched it. Falora gasped and shuddered as if wounded. "_That_ battle is to my hoard of victories, little girl," Teleb said. "I remember clearly the breaking of the Unicorn Core and the revenge of the Highlord. Surely you remember Hylock's Last Stand?" 

"I remember," Falora said evenly, regaining herself, "And the valour of his kindred who fought until they all fell, one by one. But I seem to recall that you ran like rabbit when Reizul came, and you refused to finish your match with me. Let's finish it." 

"Very well," Teleb agreed with the hint of snarl in his voice. "With humans, theives and oathbreakers I will not parley." With that, white lighting exploded from his hand. 

"Look out!" Kyra called sharply, her voice snapping like a whipcrack from the sidelines. 

"Get down!" Heero shouted, and flung himself at both Duo and Relena, knocking them to the ground beneath him. 

Heat and fire flashed over them. Heero covered Relena's head with his hands until the light faded from the corner of his eye. Scrambling to his feet, he grabbed Relena about the waist and hoisted her out of the way, pulling her to the far side of the room. Duo groaned and rolled to one knee, rubbing his head and wincing in pain. Heero ran his eyes over him, but other than a little disorientation, Duo seemed unhurt. He could feel Relena's stomach fluttering under his hands. 

"Who are these people?" she said in a small voice, turning her head to stare up into Heero's face. 

"You know as much as I," Heero whispered, and brushed a wisp of hair from her eyes. She was unharmed. 

The lighting flung at Falora vanished and she smiled in a self-satisfied way, but Teleb's smirk was deeper. Moments passed and suddenly Falora gasped and shouted in pain. Though there was no light, nothing visible to see, a sound like crackling filled the air. She writhed as if caught on fire, though there were no flames, and doubled over in pain, falling to her knees. Through her screams, only swear words and curses could be heard, and then whimpers followed at last by cries of anguish. 

They all watched in breathless silence for several agonizing moments as the small girl shook and cried out pitifully. 

"Let her go," Kyra commanded, her voice strained with desperate emotion. "You're killing her!" 

"Falora," Duo said quietly, his breath coming quickly to his throat as if he had been running. His eyes seemed glued to her torment. "I've never seen anything like this," he choked. "We've got to get out of here. We can't do anything in this battle, Heero. We're totally useless." 

Heero stared in shock at Falora in her pain, but he was more conscious of the girl closer to him, in peril of the same fate. "Take Relena," Heero pleaded. "Take her out and I will follow when I can!" They would have to get through the door. Maybe he could distract Teleb from them. He had more of a chance than the others, if Mandred really had fortified his body at some point. 

Relena's hands squeezed his in a death grip and her face went pale. "No, Heero," she begged, "I won't let you stay, not again. It's more than I can bear." There were tears in her eyes. "Please don't stay." 

He tried to pry her fingers off of his, but she only tangled them tighter. "Relena..." he began. "You told me before not to go, and now I can not stay?" 

"Then let me stay with you. Don't send me to safety! I don't want you to die on me, Heero!" she cried, and beat on his chest with a flat hand, tears on her cheeks. Whatever will power she had reserved for retaining her composure was swept away. 

Heero stared at her for a moment and then pried her fingers from his hands. "Go with Duo," he said grimly, and shoved her away. She stumbled back and stood still, hands clenched at her sides and hurt in her face. 

Falora was on the ground now, lying on her side, spasms running through her body as she fought to rgain her feet. Her hand opened and the crystals fell to the floor. Teleb approached her at a steady walk. Upon reaching her, he smiled and kicked her down. She fell with a groan, shaking and quivering, but whatever Teleb had done to her he seemed to have stopped, leaving her limp and tormented on the ground at his feet. The crystals leapt from the floor to his hand on their own accord. In his grip they blazed once more and he smiled as his face was illuminated with their radiance. 

Suddenly, he turned and flung a hand in Kyra's direction, who had crept toward him like a cat. "Not so fast," Teleb murmured and Kyra was lifted several feet into the air as if by a whirwind. With a shout and a curse she was flung backward into the far wall, her legs kicking futilely. She hit with what must have been a bone-crunching thud and slid to the floor, head hanging limply. Teleb, caressing the crystals in his left hand, smiled at the two girls lying about like broken dolls. He seemed to have forgotten Heero, Duo and Relena completely. 

Duo swore under his breath. "We can't just forsake them!" he whispered fiercely. "And the mission! He'll kill her and escape with the crystals whether we stay or run! We must do something!" 

"Don't change your mind," Heero snapped. Relena first, then the crystals, then Teleb, Kyra had said. That was the mission. "Relena needs you. You said yourself that we are uselss. Let _me_ do what can be done to complete the mission and aid your escape!" 

"I don't need Duo," Relena said quietly, and it was like she had transformed into another person. Both Heero and Duo turned to stare at her, standing proudly alone. The tears and terror were gone; steel fortified her eyes and voice. He knew it well, Relena at her most powerful, weilding authority like a weapon. It frightened him now. "I know you don't need me," she said to Heero quietly, and a series of conflicted emotion passed through her face. "But I need you. And it's not fair for you to place me in safety and yourself in peril." 

Heero stared at her with slow comprehension. His senses seemed to pick up everything but the meaning in her words. 

"The mighty Kyra Anderman," Teleb was saying in wicked, mocking tones. "Brought down at last. Your luck has finally run out. Your benefactors will never be able to find me to take me." He chuckled. "But though I have two crystals, I lack still my diamond, and I know that _you, _and not those local kids,know where it is. Tell me, or I kill Falora, your little friends and then you." 

Kyra moaned and said nothing. 

Relena turned her eyes on Heero, shimmering softly like collected rainwater. "I'm not afraid for myself anymore than you are," she said more softly, and then turned abruptly away from him, her gaze focusing on Teleb, the warmth in her expression evaporating, replaced by a hard resolve. "The most terrifying thing I ever experienced was my only brother in a fight to the death with my only love. If I survived that, this is nothing." And she turned and ran at Teleb. 

"_No_, Relena!" Heero yelled hissingly after her. Only love? "Damn it, you silly girl! Stop!" 

Teleb did not see Relena coming. While he still stood smiling over Kyra, Relena grabbed his left hand with both of hers and pried the crystals from his grasp. Only then did he turn his eyes on her. Her blonde hair streaked in front of her face as she stared up at him, her mouth parting in sudden fear. Without thinking, Heero whipped his gun out in a steady grip before him. He fired a single true shot, straight for Teleb's chest. 

Teleb jerked and turned so that the bullet plunged into his shoulder. He cursed loudly, clutching the wound, and flung his arm out in Heero's direction. Suddenly, Heero felt as if he were hit by a ton of bricks. One moment he stood braced with the gun still smoking in his hand and the next he was flat on his back, winded from an invisible blow. 

Relena... 

Heero struggled to sit up. Once his vision cleared, he could only stare. He had seen Teleb's wound, but even as he looked, it was healing itself before his eyes, the flesh reknitting itself together. The bullet shards were on the ground, bloodstained, but no longer buried in their target. Teleb's attention was again focused on Relena. 

Oh, God... 

Teleb snarled, his eyes glittering in rage and hate. Relena stepped back, but she stayed as if hypnotized, one hand flung in front of her face. 

Coran entered the room from a small sidedoor. His eyes lingered on Kyra, wheezing by the wall, but he assessed quickly Relena's unexpected victory and her present peril. He bypassed his fiance and ran toward her. Even as Heero struggled to rise and aim his gun for a second blow, however ineffective it now seemed, Coran dashed across the room. He came from one of the other entrances and moved quick as lightning, snatching Relena out from under Teleb's gaze before the Alfarian was even aware of him, wrapping an arm about her waist and dragging her from the premises without pause. With both Relena and the crystals were out of the room, the dreadful pounding in Heero's ears abated somewhat, but not completely. 

They had to get out too. Everybody had to get out. Without delay, Heero sprang to his feet and yanked Duo after him. "Come on!" he urged, pushing Duo through the door by which Coran had entered. Duo needed no urging. They both slipped through even as Coran vanished out into the hall with Relena. 

"You will regret forsaking your word, princess!" Teleb roared. His voice thundered down through the building and the stones shook over Duo and Heero's head. "You vile, manipulative _casadrat,"_ he said partially in some foreign language. "I will throttle you until you can not scream and the whole wide world weeps for you!" And then he laughed. 

_R un, Relena_, Heero thought in anguish, breathing in a dark passageway with Duo. He blew warm air on his fists and contemplated what horrible deathblow Teleb was constructing. But how could Relena escape? What could he do for her now? What? He felt... helpless. _If there is a God, help her now. Don't let her die for me._ He had never prayed before, but he prayed in earnest now. 

Duo was standing at the doorway, peering through with troubled eyes. "He's followed her," he said at last. "What do we do, Heero?" 

"I don't know," Heero said, and felt a shudder pass through him. "Are Kyra and Falora still alive?" 

"I can't tell. They aren't moving." 

An explosion sounded not far off. The floor beneath them shook and Heero and Duo were thrown off balance, dancing about to remain standing. Duo failed and fell heavily. Stone and temper cracked above their heads. Then all was still. 

"We can't stay hidden in here," Heero said. Duo nodded and they both went back through the door and emerged once more into the main room. Heero felt like a coward for running in the first place. He had never felt like a coward before. 

Duo ran to Falora's side and pushed her hair back. "She's breathing," he said. "And... Oh my, God." His tone was held more amazement than fear. "Heero, come look at this." Heero walked over. The diamond around Falora's neck was pulsing with a soft green light that seemed to spread through her body so that she shimmered softly. 

Kyra groaned and half sat up. Heero turned to her. "What the _hell?_" she lamented, and winced in pain. "Did Coran escape with Relena and the crystals?" 

"They're being chased," Heero said darkly. "Are you okay?" 

Kyra swore and shifted until she was sitting. She groaned in pain. "If I could count all the times I should have died..." She chuckled and put a hand to the back of her head. "Good thing I'm enforced." 

"When Teleb hurled you in the wall, I thought that was it," Duo said. "What happened to the plan?" 

Kyra winced and laughed shakily. "The plan evaporated when Teleb sensed Falora. God knows how he did it. I _revised_ the plan. She hurriedly stored a regeneration spell in her diamonds and challenged him. There was nothing else to do. If he'd gotten the crystals..." 

"He got them anyway," Heero snapped. "If not for Relena, we would be done here." 

"Is Falora regenerating yet?" Kyra asked. 

"She's glowing, if that's what you mean," Duo supplied uncertainly. "And the diamond seems to be the source." 

"Good," Kyra said. "She should recover with a little time then, hopefully enough to make us a Portal out of here, or send out a distress call to Mandred and Immilie." 

"She can do that?" Duo said. "Then why hasn't she?" 

"Because Teleb would sense it and retreat," Kyra said. "Scrying is complicated and there was no time to prepare anything like that. It takes time to set up a distress call and more time to send it out. There wasn't any time before, but now that Teleb is enraged and after his crystals, he might ignore Falora if she attempts a distress call now. Maybe, he will," she said under her breath. "And maybe he'll kill Coran and Relena first and escape before she recovers." 

Heero felt his muscles tensing. He had to distract Teleb from Relena then. With his life if that was the cost.   


* * *

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	14. Power and Pain

The Mandred Chronicles:   


Power and Pain 

by zapenstap 

  
  
  
  


Relena barely comprehended what happened when Coran leaped out from nowhere and tore her away from the terrible eyes of Teleb. She could not get those eyes out of her head, boring with their white hot fury into her mind. Pure rage and hatred pulsed out of their depths, fire and darkness, and all their malice bent over her. The crystals felt hot in her hands, but she clutched them tightly. 

Something exploded behind her. Teleb was following. 

Now she was running, running with the fuel of terror, breathing raggedly, pain lancing through every muscle. If she faltered, Coran gripped her about the forearm and pulled her ever onward. So she kept up, though all the world was hazy. She had long since lost her heeled shoes and ran barefoot on the cold white tiles, brown-blonde hair flying in tangled wisps before her face. 

"We have to get back to the others," Coran said hoarsely. "We will be hunted down and slaughtered this way." 

"And all the world will weep for me," Relena gasped through tears from anxiety and hot wind. "He called me _casadrat," _she said. "What does it mean?" 

"This is hardly a time for lore learning, princess," Coran huffed, but he answered her. "Casadrat were what the concubines of the Lord of Solaroth called themselves in secret. It means "poison rose" in the old Alfarian language. The leader of the concubines took that name for herself and through her manipulations brought down a great empire. Her followers named their inner organization after her when she fell. You might take it as a compliment." 

"I have never heard of the Solaroth Empire," Relena said. She wanted to distract herself, and it seemed to be working. 

"It doesn't exist here, princess," Coran said, and threw her into another passageway. 

"I wish everyone would stop calling me that," Relena said as he followed her and they began to run again, vaguely back the way they had just come. "How do we get back to the others? Where is Teleb?" 

"Hot on our heels," Coran said. "For all I know, he could be invisible, or meet us while we're rounding a corner. We're going to have to find the other way into the room, or make our own way. I've got some explosives if it comes to that. Now conserve your breath and _run_." 

They picked up the pace in a way Relena did not think possible. Fire roared in her lungs and she felt as if pincers were cutting the muscles in her sides. Tears leaked from her eyes, but she kept on, still clutching the crystals. 

Abruptly, a sheet of fire rose before them, a fiery wall of burning heat in her face, blocking their path. Her face felt the warmth, her hair crackled. This was no light show. 

"Whoa!" Coran shouted, and halted inches before the flames. Relena he jerked back slammed into the stone wall of the cooridor, protectively behind him. Teleb appeared on the other side of fire wall, still surrounded by a white aura. 

"Those are _mine_," Teleb said through his teeth, and his eyes flashed like lightning as he stared at the crystals in Relena's fist. 

Coran popped a cufflink from his sleeve and threw it hard against the tiled floor. Relena raised an arm to shield her face as it exploded in a burst of light and fire. As smoke filled the hallway, Relena tried desperately not to cough. Coran grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back down the hallway. She made to run swiftly, but Coran halted suddenly. There was a popping sound Relena recognized as a pin being pulled from a gernade, but she could see nothing in the smoke. 

"Such tricks won't avail you, children!" Teleb shouted, almost sounding amused, but that unmistakeable malice coated his tone. "These games are entertaining, but my crystals are not a wager." 

The gernade exploded and Relena ducked and covered her head. A large chunk of the wall burst asunder, bits of debris flying in all directions, white paint and dust showering them from the ceiling. In the choas, Relena rose without Coran's assistance and leapt through the hole in the wall. Coran followed after her, one hand pressed against her back and the other over her head to protect her from the bits of ceiling crashing downward. 

They were again in the hallway they had escaped to from the main room, running back the way they had come. Relena's heart beat like a bird's, fluttering at speeds that she thought for sure must soon kill her, but she fled with all her strength, back to Heero. A second wind came to her and she ran harder, almost outdistancing Coran. 

***** 

Heero leaped to both feet and an explosion rocked the building a second time. Moments later, Relena and Coran burst back into the room, dust darkening their faces, hair and eyes wild. Heero looked up and Relena rushed to him, throwing her arms about his neck as if he were her last salvation, almost knocking him over. She trembled in his arms, her breathing shallow and ragged. He thought she might shatter if he held her too tightly. 

Kyra rose tottering to her feet, and though she and Coran shared a look full of deep meaning, they did not approach each other, for at that moment something odd appeared in the air by the doorway. Coran moved back by Duo. Kyra hovered over Falora, shaking her and pleading for her to wake with a tone more of command than desperation. 

The something odd was a circle of blue light that expanded steadily into a large oval opening in midair. As it expanded, it was filled with blue light, and though the oval was two dimenstional like a doorway, the light seemed three dimentional. In only seconds it was large enough for a man to walk through, and through it a man came. Teleb stepped lightly into the room from nowhere and the blue portal closed. His eyes swung straight to Relena and the crystals she clasped. 

"Heero," Relena breathed warningly, moving to his side, her hands wrapped around his arm. 

Heero shielded her as best he could, right hand gripping his gun. But Teleb was not daunted. 

Heero gasped as pain shot through him, a feeling like electricity shocking through his whole body. Unprepared to face an enemy he could not fight, he breathed raggedly and shouted as a second wave jolted through him. He could not stop shaking after that, and the pain did not stop. He muffled his cries, eyes tearing involuntarily as he battled the pain desparately. But it was too much, and it grew. The world lost its focus, growing hazy and indinstinct among the pain. He felt himself falling, but he could not very well hear his own cries. 

"Heero!" Relena voice reached him in concern. He felt her arms encircle his chest as he faltered and fell, collapsing limply. "What are you doing to him?" he thought she said, fighting to remain conscious. If he had known Teleb was keeping him awake, he would not have bothered. "Stop it!" Relena cried again, and he wondered how he could hear her so clearly. "You're hurting him! Heero!" 

The pain suddenly vanished. 

"Give me my crystals," Teleb said softly. 

Heero opened his eyes hazily. He found he was lying on the ground with his head in Relena's lap. His body still shook, but no new pain racked it. Still, he could not rise, or move, and his perception of the world was like watching a dream. 

_No, Relena_, Heero thought. She stroked his face and said nothing, but he could see her eyes, blue now like a lagoon, shimmering with her tears. He could not speak, but he tried to communicate with his eyes what she should do. 

"I won't give in, Heero," Relena said softly just to him, as if reading his mind. "I wouldn't do anything you would not. I've patterned everything I do after you. You have to believe in me now." Heero closed his eyes. 

"Very well," Teleb said to Relena, and Heero's eyes snapped back open at the tone in his voice, the threat. "You I would break for your treachery alone, and I promised you pain, but the crystals are mine. Give them to me now." 

Relena rested Heero's head lightly on the ground and stood. He watched, still shaking, as she stepped away from him and stood proudly with the crystals in the fist clenched at her side. The air around her seemed to grow still. "You are an outlaw and a coward," she said forcefully, mustering the strength and command of a queen from her throne. "You can humble your enemies only through pain and fear, yet you accuse me of treachery. These crystals mean nothing to me, but I would never willingly give them to you, you who have no doubt destroyed many things lovely and beautiful without thought or care or cause other than your own selfish and unsatisfyable ambition. I would retailiate against you if I could, but having no such power, I will settle to defy you. When you depart from this place I hope you do so in shame and loathing. I do not count it treachery to betray the treacherous, nor do I account myself a liar for being coerced into a promise by threat of pain. If I am weak, at least I am honest, and if I am a fool, at least I am brave. These crystals you may take from me, but I will never willingly surrender them. You..." 

Teleb strode over the space between them and wrapped a hand about Relena's throat in a crushing grip. He lifted Relena into the air as if she weighed nothing and shook her even as she struggled to breath, kicking her legs feebly. "Now is not the time for speeches, my dear," he said through clenched teeth. "You know nothing about me, but you perceive much. Take your reward." 

The first of Relena's screams rent Heero's heart and he awoke from his comatose in a jolt. Ignoring the shakiness in his limbs, he leaped to his feet and threw himself at Teleb with all the enegy and skill he could muster, but he struck a wall of air and was thrown back to the ground. There he lay only for a moment, winded, and Relena screamed on, shierking in agony. Heero felt worse than useless, and the sound of her cries stabbed his heart. 

Coran made to come to Relena's aid, passing by Teleb unnoticed, but though his attention was focused on Relena, Tebel somehow caught him and Coran froze in place. Duo simultaneously rounded on the other side, but he too was unsuccessful. Duo was not caught like Coran, but Teleb's eyes held him and he simply collapsed unconscious where he stood and did not rise again. 

"Duo!" Heero shouted in alarm. 

Moments later, Coran collapsed too and Heero fell silent, amazed and horrified. 

"That for Coran Domared," Teleb said, peering sidewise at Kyra. "And you, Kyra, I will finish shortly." Teleb's gaze swung to Heero. "You I will teach to respect my power. Know that you can do nothing here. All would have gone easier on you if you had done what I asked and simply given me my crystals!" 

Relena was no longer screaming, but tears leaked from her eyes and her body seemed to quiver and spasm out of her control. Then, to Heero's growing horror, her skin began to smoke and peel and the smell of burned flesh filled the room. So much pain enveloped her, that she did not appear to notice her own flesh burning, but only whimpered pitifully, her eyes glassy and dull. 

"Stop it!" Heero cried hoarsely, and did not wonder at the tears in his own eyes. "You monster! Nobody deserves that! Stop it! Oh, _God_..." And he folded over, clutching at his jacket, shutting his eyes and ears to the sound. 

His hand felt something in the pocket of his jacket and he clutched in to remind him that real, solid things existed outside the horror around him. And then he suddenly remembered what it was. He'd forgotten all about it. Reaching into his pocket he withdrew the small alarm device Mandred had given in case of emergencies and stared at it stupidly. 

He looked up to see Relena, wilted now like a dying flower, her skin scared and blackened in places, her eyes shut. She looked lifeless. Teleb dropped her like an old rag and turned to Kyra and Falora, looking unpleasant and unsatisfied. "You are growing strong again, I see," he said in wicked tones to Falora. "But not fast enough." 

With shaking hands, Heero pushed the button.   
  


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	15. Interference

The Mandred Chronicles: 

Interference 

by zapenstap 

  
  


"You have to tell him, Mandred," Immile said gently but with conviction. It was obvious and they both knew it, but she knew Mandred would study it thoroughly before taking any course of action. Methodical, she liked to call it, and was becoming tremendously fond of his considerate mind, but she could not tell him so. 

"I know," he said, blinking in the light of the dying fire as if arousing from a dream. "And I have long since been finished with my business here. Save Heero, there is no reason for me to stay and every reason to return to Elneira. The Crystal Throne will certainly have need for me." 

"That it will," Immilie approved. "And so do I." 

He looked at her consideringly over his fists. "How long, Immilie?" he said quietly, and spoke to her in their native language, formally and with expression. She had not heard it since she came here, and lowered her eyes as the sound washed over her head. "I have waited a long time." 

His face was solemn as a stone, but there was depth in his eyes as he looked at her, and she knew he loved her and would not, could not stop. And she did not want him to, but she feared it all the same. He had lived long and traveled far, had gained great renown with deeds done and counsel given. Even before Kings and Emperors his service was not rendered lightly, and everyone at home knew his name. In his sight, she still felt like a child, but it was her ill fate to fall in love with a legend. When he said he waited a long time, he did not mean the time between their first meeting, his proposal and her delay, but the time he had lived alone, searching the world fruitlessly for a woman to love since his first perished so tragically in the Prism Wars so many ages ago. That he had chosen Immilie was an unexpected, unlooked for thing, but passionately returned. Yet it was not a step she could take lightly. No Alfarian marriages ever were, but her case was particularly unique. 

"I know you," she returned in the same language, with as much passion as she possessed. "I doubt not your intentions, nor your love, and I trust you with my life and my heart, but it changes nothing." 

He shook his head slowly and pressed his forehead against his head. "Then I will wait longer," he said. "I will wait until the sun dies and everything young grows old, as you seem to think is necessary. But you do not need to be old, Immilie, for I could not love you more. And though you possess the joy and lightness of youth, you do not seem fresh and untried to me. My heart beats as steadily as yours and I do not walk in a different plane than even children of mortal races. I have experienced much, but nothing new have I seen in all my wanderings that you have not, because there _is_ nothing new. Old things just grow more familiar, but I have no one to share them with, and I no longer wish to wander alone." 

And then Immilie was silent, choked from speaking, for though her heart yearned that she might yield on the minute, his seriousness frightened her. 

There came an urgent knock at the door. 

Immilie straightened and crossed the hall to answer it, unsure whether she felt relief or annoyance at this interruption, for her mind was busy with Mandred's words, yet she felt she needed time to reconcile herself. 

She opened the door and started in surprise to see the Preventors Wufei Chang and Sally Po standing armed and grave-faced on her doorstep. 

"Please come in," she said at once, opening the door wide and stepping back. "I did not know you knew my address." 

"We looked it up," Wufei said, entering. "We went to Mandred's place first, but he was not there, so we came here." 

She wasted no more words. There was a sense of urgency in their eyes. "Mandred is in the living room. What has happened?" 

But Mandred came into the hall on his own accord, and his expression reflected the gravity in Wufei's eyes. "Teleb has made himself known, has he?" Mandred guessed. "What happened and how long ago?" 

"Your... acquaintance," Wufei spat, "entered the Cinq Kingdom at eleven hundred hours and kidnapped princess Vice Foreign Minister Darilan. But he came looking for you." 

Mandred left his coat hanging on the peg on the wall and walked past Wufei outside. "Oh, I doubt we really wanted to find me." 

"We have come to put you under house arrest," Sally said, crossing her arms. "We do not understand the conflict between you and this man, but it has put a dignitary in harm's way, and for that we need to ask you some questions before we can put this aright." 

"You can not put this aright," Mandred said dismissively. "I hope rather that you have _not_ acted on this situation. Teleb is more worthy a foe than you have calculated. I must deal with him myself." 

"This is not a matter for negotiation," Wufei protested. "We have a warrant to arrest you." 

"Mandred exists outside your laws," Immilie informed them steadily. "But he has sworn to abide by them while he remains here. You do not know what you propose by this thing. Lives will be lost because of it, lives very dear to you." 

Wufei and Sally stared at her in confusion and amazement. 

"And isn't it Relena Darilan's safety that you should be primarily concerned with?" Mandred added. 

"Oh, Heero will rescue _her_," Sally said confidently. "Wufei already talked to your Kyra Anderman and she said Heero had a plan. There is no one I trust to complete a mission like Heero, especially if it involves Relena." 

Mandred's head snapped up and his eyes blazed. He swore vehemently in the Ancient Language. 

"Kyra wouldn't go after Teleb prematurely," Immilie said hurriedly but soothingly to Mandred, ignoring the Preventors. "Not even with Falora to aid her! She is no rookie." 

"Teleb would give them no time to wait," Mandred refuted with a degree of agitation. "I wondered why he took the girl, a stranger to me, but not to Heero. If he means to use _him_ to make the transaction and thereby completely avoid confrontation with me, then I have lingered here too long. Even Kyra can not make a plan capable of capturing Teleb, not even with Falora Eredes and a hundred crystals!" 

Immilie could sense Mandred's anxiety, could see it in his face. Mandred was never anxious, but fury stormed in him now. "Then go to them," she urged. 

"Evacuate the north sector colony," Mandred told her, his eyes blazing. "If Teleb aquires the crystals, he will be a powerful foe, and I may have little time to deal with him and yet save the others." 

"Time? If anything happens to that boy, you will be too enraged to limit your assault," Immilie said in some fear. "I will do as you bid me." 

"Thank you," Mandred said. 

"What are you talking about?" Wufei demanded. "This has happened before. Heero can handle one man." 

"No," Immilie disagreed, watching Mandred stride away to a place where he could make a Portal unseen by human eyes. "This has never happened here. Nor should it ever again. Do you have resources? Everyone who wants to live will be wise to evacuate the north side of the colony. Mandred has not promised to be careful, and it has been many years since he was last this angry." 

"Evacuate?" Sally said in astonishment. "What for?" 

But Immilie did not explain. "Just do it," she said. "I will aid you." 

It was at that moment that Immilie felt the call, a low whistle humming in her blood. Mandred was not yet out of the sight of Wufei and Sally, but he wasted no more time hiding from them. Heero was in a desperate situation. Immilie knew the frequency Mandred had used in furnishing his alarm, in the unlikely case that she would have to aid Heero in Mandred's stead, and felt it clearly. She knew instantly Heero's location, far away on the opposite side of the colony where Teleb's force would not be detected without conscious effort. But she knew more than that, and gasped in fear and shock. The alarm was a peculiar device, one of Ranlath's contraptions, and communicated the emotional state of the user even as it signaled the maker. She felt Teleb's magic now, but more horrifying, she felt the pain and anguish of Mandred's boy. The color drained from Mandred's face. 

"I may be too late," he said breathlessly, and whatever fury burned in him before grew suddenly white hot. The white aura of _Alfaria_ sprang up around him, blazing in the daylight, mixing with the rays of a sun. A Portal opened before him without ceremony and he stepped through. 

Wufei and Sally stood stock still in utter astonishment as the Portal vanished. "What the hell?" Wufei said, eyes wide. 

But Immilie had no time for them. Even as they turned to confront her, she seized _Alfaria_ herself, letting the sweat strains of power flood through her like a raging river, and made her own Portal. "Empty the North Sector," she said coolly, "you will not remember this clearly" and stepped through. 

***** 

Teleb's heavy boots walked over Relena's body, stepping on her hair, which crunched and crackled as if stiff and brittle. Some of it broke off. Heero raised his face has Teleb passed, but the Renegade Alfarian took no notice of him and passed the space between Relena and Falora without turning his head. 

Heero scrambled to Relena's side and touched her arm gently, turning her face toward him. He gasped and put a hand to his mouth in revulsion, forcing down nausea. Her features were unchanged, but her skin was bloated and crisp, singed as if from fire, scalded as if from hot water, red and burnt yellow. Her eyes were shut, seemingly welded shut, but he wondered if she still had eyes at all. Sucking in gulps of air, chest heaving, he placed two fingers beneath her chin to feel for the pulse of life. He almost wished she was dead. 

"Heero," a tattered word tore suddenly from her throat at his touch, and he recoiled, aghast that she could still be conscious. Her hands twitched feebly. "I am blind." 

"I'm here," he said, moving closer, lightly lifting her head and cradling her. 

"Was I brave?" she whispered. "Am I strong like you?" A small smile appeared on her face. "I am not afraid. I do not think I shall ever be afraid again." 

"Relena, don't speak." 

"But I may never get the chance again. I know I've been a burden to you. Can you forgive me?" 

"Shinigami," * a voice said suddenly, and Heero and looked at Duo without expression. He had regained consciousness and was staring at Relena's maimed figure in astonishment and horror. "What happened to her?" 

"Damn you, Teleb!" Kyra roared from behind both of them. "Leave her alone. You've won! Let us be!" 

Heero turned his head to see Kyra kneeling before Falora, her features twisted in a grotesque expression. Teleb stood threateningly over both of them, still surrounded by a steady white nimbus. Heero could see Falora's face. Her cheeks were flushed with color again, her wounds healed, and her eyes were open. Ignoring Teleb, she was looking his way, at Relena. Heero didn't care. It was too late. 

Relena whimpered and Heero turned back to her, forgetting the others. "No," Relena moaned pitifully, straining against something invisible. "Enough," she whimpered, and then she fell completely silent. 

Heero stared at her without comprehension. "Relena?" he said, and brushed a finger across her face, calloused and crisp like paper though it was. "Relena?" he said a little more desperately, his voice hoarse. "Relena!" She seemed surrounded in a halo of gold, like the last flush of death before all went gray. 

He laid her gently down and trembled. The mission... The mission... Damn the mission; Relena was gone and he had not been able to save her. What would Mandred say? "This is not my fault," he said with a choke, but the pain was intolerable. He brushed Relena's hair from her face, trying to remember what it used to look like every time he had seen it, but the new and terrible face burned before his eyes and sunk itself in his memory. He tried to remember when she was fair and valiant, proud and gentle, but all he could see was her corpse, hot before the heat faded and her blood turned stale. She should be angelic in death. "You didn't deserve this," he cried regretfully. 

_The most terrifying thing I ever experienced was my only brother in a fight to the death with my only love. If I survived that, this is nothing._

This was his fault. She loved him. She did this to save _him_. His heart turned into stone and plunged into blackness. Coldness consumed him, a vast and immeasurable chill like the depth of winter where no spring ever came. All extraneous thoughts vanished from his mind as if he were using the Zero System and he stood slowly, straightening to his full height. 

"Heero?" Duo said in wonder. "Heero, get a hold of yourself. What are you going to do?" But he scrambled to his feet. 

"No more," Heero said in the tones he used to use long ago. "If death is what this mission has bought, than it will swiftly come for all of us, but Teleb will not escape." 

Duo nodded and they turned toward Teleb together. "Leave Falora alone, Teleb," he said grimly. Falora's eyes were glassy again. She looked as if she were barely hanging on, and concentrating to remain conscious. 

"Were you not content with your lot?" Teleb said in wonder, turning without hurry, and there was poison and mockery in his voice. "You all wish to share the fate of the princess?" 

Heero's heart burned. 

"You always did enjoy torturing women," Kyra said with something like the clash of metal in her voice. "I think that's sick." 

"I'm the God of Death," Duo said simply and grimly. He sounded it. "And I say 'never give a gift you wouldn't buy for yourself.' " And then he laughed eerily, without humor. 

"I'll destroy you," Heero said with the blackest of thoughts. Darkness clouded his vision. 

"Very well," Teleb said and his eyes blazed with green fire. "I was merciful, but I see my mercy has been spurned. Burn and die slow! Even as she did!" Teleb flung an arm to the front and a fireball leapt from his hand, growing in heat and ferocity as it cut through the air toward them. 

Heero stood motionless, dead in heart and eye. _Let it come_, he thought. _I am not afraid_. 

Abruptly, a Portal opened in the path of fireball, a perfect oval materializing all at once. The fireball was swallowed by the light and disappeared within it. Something exploded. 

Heero snapped out of his zombie state as he and Duo were flung backward from the force of the explosion. Twisting to one knee, he raised an arm to cover his eyes and stared out beneath it. A great wind picked up, issuing out from the Portal and gusting around the walls and out the double doors. Heero's hair whipped about his face as he strained to see in the effulgent light emitting from the Portal. 

The first thing he saw was Teleb's eyes widen in wonder and change to fright. The next was Mandred, stepping though a Portal of azure blue, wreathed in orange flame. At first, Heero quailed, fearing that Teleb had caught Mandred in his blast and set him ablaze, but then he realized differently. The flames did not touch Mandred; they encircled him in the manner of Teleb's white aura, only crackling with heat and smoking, yet burning away from his skin. 

"Is this yours?" Mandred said in tones deeper and darker than Heero had ever heard from anybody and never expected from his guardian. In the glare of the fire he could see Mandred's eyes, boring into Teleb's face like hot pokers, the whites gleaming in the light. His face was as grim as death. And fire still blazed about him. 

Teleb said nothing. He cursed in his own tongue, turned, and fled. Mandred did not move, but the fire surrounding him suddenly gathered in one place before his chest and shot away like fireworks. Teleb eluded the blast and vanished out the doors. Even without the fiery wreath, Mandred still glowed bright white, brighter than Teleb had, yet he seemed unaware of it. 

"About bloody time!" Kyra snapped angrily. 

"Hurry, Mandred," Falora gasped, still lying on the ground unmoving. "I am not going to be able to hold this much longer." 

Mandred's eyes swept over Kyra and Falora and turned straight away to Heero and Duo. His gaze lingered on Heero briefly, but were then drawn to Relena's tortured body. A vein bulged in his jaw line as his teeth clenched. "This is highly compromising," he hissed to himself. "This will not take long, Falora," he said, and swept out of the room.   
  


PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review 


	16. Mandred VS Teleb

This chapter was originally not included in the Mandred Chronicles because it's based in my original stuff, which is difficult to explain at this point (especially from the Alfarian point of view), but some people wanted it, so it's up now. It's a strange battle because Mandred is a very methodical, efficient fighter, but here it is. If you just want to know about Heero and the rest of the GW cast, it's possible to skip this chapter all togther. But if you read it, please review!   
  
  
  
  


The Mandred Chronicles 

Mandred VS Teleb 

by zapenstap 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Falora's life force beat in the back of Mandred's head, an indicator of how much time he had. If she lost strength and faded, Relena would die instantly. He hadn't much time, but he couldn't afford to be hasty. 

"Teleb!" Mandrd called coldly as soon as he was out of earshot of the others. He adjusted the glare of his fire wreath and dissipated the orange flame he had gathered, running its heat into the walls and the floor. Teleb would feel that through his shoes if he was observant enough. A little warning to slow him down. It would make him nervous, if he wasn't out of his mind already, but it would not scare him away. Mandred would not have him try to escape when retribution was in order, not when Heero's cold eyes and the image of the blackened, twisted form of the girl lying at his feet were burned into his memory. _ Ah, Heero... you weren't meant to get caught up in this._ So much work and care had gone into removing that cold defensiveness from the boy, and now the walls were back up, hard and cold as cast iron. "Teleb!" he bellowed again, and then lowered his voice to an insistent call. "I have not been this angry in a long time, but I will control myself if _you_ come to _me_." 

He couldn't kill him, not and stay under the Law. It wouldn't suffice to ease his anger anyway. Of course, there was a lot he technically was not supposed to do. No magic with visible effects, for evil _or_ good; that was the first rule. Heero should never have been exposed to any of this, Relena should never have been used to expose him, and they were the ones who paid the price. That wasn't fair. Something would have to be done, whatever the rules. 

The shadowed halls were deathly quiet, but Teleb would respond eventually, posed enough questions and challenges. They always did. As he took firm, deliberate paces down the cooridor, Mandred took note of the shattered stone and broken bits of wood littered about the hallway. One of the walls had a gaping hole in it. He thought it led back to the room where he had left the others, but it didn't look like Falora's work; more like modern explosives. He teleported past it, simply skipping the walk through that space. He didn't want to be seen by the others now, or see them. It was Teleb he must confront now. 

"The Crystal Throne has called you back, Renegade," he said in a quieter tone to his adversary. "You would be wiser to seek clemency. You won't escape this way." 

"Clemency!" 

The word was spat like a curse, and seemed to bounce off every wall, to come from every direction. Mandred frowned. Getting him to talk wouldn't be enough to find him then. 

The wall to Mandred's right suddenly lost shape and caved inward. Mandred turned deftly as chunks of wood, paint, steel and stone burst from the insides, flying toward his face. But he had felt the movement before its result, and looked the other way as the objects hurled ineffectively against his shielding wall, falling in a pile at his feet. 

"You think I would go back?" Teleb's voice came again, the touch of laughter in his tone a little shaky. "Kneel at the feet of the Queen, seek pardon of the Council? I can not think of a worse torture!" 

"Torture?" Mandred repeated mildly, pretending to take him literally. Perhaps being angry was not the way. After all, the devil hated to be mocked. "Oh, I don't think so," he said mildly, "Quenden is in Elneira now. He wouldn't allow such retribution on principal, and Shine would forbid it by law. The Council is not so efficient in their justice. You will be given the Remedy, less you choose death by your own hand." A mild manner for a serious subject. Teleb would catch it, but how would he react? It would not have worked on Nilico, but Teleb was young for a Renegade. 

Teleb laughed again, though there was still no face or direction to go with that voice. "Is that something you Masters came up with?" His voice seemed to slide through the air with no direction, a dizzying sensation. "A Remedy, you say? I have heard the rumors. Is it like a drug for a sickness in the head?" He chuckled. "Probably Quenden's idea, that idealistic charaltan! But I am not mad, _Master_ Mandred. I assure you, I know what I am doing. I would have killed the boy next. I was going to _bleed_ his heart in his chest." 

Mandred forced down his desire to simply reach out, seize control and crush the mind behind that voice. "Quenden is not idealistic," Mandred replied, and prepared to do a sweeping scry to find the man. He kept his tone light, but his mind manipulated his magic, darting and twisting through a web of complex constructions. Where had Teleb found a perch? "And I never said you were mad," he continued evenly without missing a beat. "That is not how the Remedy works. If it were only madness _I_ might be able to help you, but what you have goes a lot deeper than any distortion of the mind." He set the anchors and prepared the cable winds. "Your soul is twisted, and straightening it is only something you can do, if you want it. The Remedy only clarifies you to yourself." Anchors set, he released his sweep and let it flow, quiet and gentle like a breath of air. 

Would someone like Teleb detect such a scrying spell in time? He did not know the man personally. He knew he was from Elenestan, Elneira, had participated in the original revolt and had escaped in the Scourge. The rest of his information was second hand, what analysis of his battle experience General Soronith could give him and what Ranlath had hypothesized about his experience with crystal enhancers, but that wasn't nearly enough to capture him easily. His psychology, other than the usual Renegade sort, was a mystery, and he had covered his tracks well for someone so young. He supposed he was one of very few who considered five hundred years or so a very short life. 

"Not all evil knows itself," he continued on his previous train of thought, "but even if you truly do know what you are doing, there are still only two choices you can make, to change or to die, and who knows what choices we have after death?" 

"Don't you?" Teleb's voice mocked him. "You who are famed to know everything?" 

Mandred smiled as he followed the webbing he had cast over the area. No, not there. No, not there either... there were sixty-four channels, but he ticked them off in heartbeats. "A myth," he replied as he worked. "Nobody _really_ knows anything. I have lived a long time and seen a great deal, enough to have some opinion on some small matters, enough to educate others with less experience, but someday even I will pass, and who can say what my fate will be then, or what my knowledge will come to?" Ah, there he was. The sweep dissolved, except for that last final anchor. A clean line, a clear shot, through walls, past a room littered with bodies (Heero?) and outside. Yes, Teleb was outside. He held on to the line, checking quickly for traps. Falora was still holding steady. Ranlath was right. That girl was a treasure. 

"You may _pass_ today," Teleb's voice said smoothly, twice as eerie now that Mandred knew where it was being directed from. A clever trick. He had thought the man closer. What was that vibration? Was he preparing to collapse the building? Teleb had the added power of the crystals to control and enhance his strength; it would not be dificult for him. Even as the thought occured to him, Mandred felt the floor beneath him tremble and dust float down from the ceiling. Shifting his weight to maintain his balance, Mandred sought for the source of the disturbance, for the alterations that could crumble a stone foundation, and found it. He did not wait this time. The pulse of Falora's life force was still steady, but not for much longer. He slashed at Teleb's weave mercilessly and it snapped like a rubberband. The building became still again. 

Teleb swore. The backlash must have hit him hard. Good. 

"You _will_ die!" Teleb shouted suddenly, and Mandred felt the air stir, raising the hairs on the back of his neck. 

"Yes," Mandred agreed calmly. "But not by your hand." 

He heard Teleb snarl, but before he could make a move, Mandred locked onto his location and transported himself there, his own body sliding between space, like ducking under a curtain. Teleb stumbled backward as Mandred appeared suddenly before him, a hand flying up in front of his face in reflexive alarm. Mandred caught his wrist and pushed him bodily into the wall of the building. "Desist," he said forcefully, staring straight into Teleb's eyes. The wind from outside blew against his back. He felt exposed in the open, but there was no one in the street; even the buildings were deserted. 

Teleb snarled and struggled, but Mandred did not budge. Teleb relaxed then, though the muscles in his face tightened, fear and anger flickering across his gaze. "What?" he breathed almost kindly, a mockery of kindness. "The girl?" Mandred felt his jaw clench. Relena, skin scorched, blacked, her flesh melted and blistered. Heero had watched her every day on the television and pretended he had had no interest her. But Mandred had caught him drawing sometimes, in his room, sketches of the girl's eyes and attempted efforts at her face and body. Heero was not an artist, but they were pretty good drawings, exact to even the most minute details, her fingernails, the highlights in her hair. Once he had recorded a broadcast that featured her giving a speech. But he rarly talked much about her, and Mandred had not asked, knowing how Heero liked his secrets. "Was _she_ one of your projects too?" Teleb mocked, "the boy's lover perhaps? Are you breeding humans?" 

Mandred's grip on Teleb tightened. Teleb stared at him, falling silent, swallowing. He began to sweat, gasp and then screamed as his wrists began to smoke and sizzle under Mandred's hands. Mandred held the weave for several seconds, the same he had given Relena, ignoring Teleb's frantic shrieks and pleas for mercy. After a few moments, Mandred released him and he staggered, falling almost to his knees. 

"Poor treatment of a fellow creature," Mandred said coldly, looking down on him, "but you _would_ hate anyone that much who has more control over their fear than you do." 

Teleb cursed, shaking, laughing maniacally, his arms cradled close to his body. He had not been given nearly the dose he had bestowed upon Relena, but Mandred's hand print was burned into the skin around his wrists and along his arms, an ugly red mark, blistering at the edges. Teleb pretended as if nothing has happened, though his body trembled still. "I am not afraid of _them_," he growled, rising again, his eyes meeting Mandred's slowly. They looked absolutely wild. "Not even that pet of Ranlath's, Falora Eredes. She is a weak excuse for one of us." 

"I didn't say you were afraid of them," Mandred replied, amazed in spite of himself. Perhaps evil could not feel pain after awhile. Perhaps it was too easily confused with pleasure. "But there is goodness in them and you can't abide it. You believe they are worth nothing, that their feelings and intelligence mean nothing because they are ingrained in the superstructure of this world instead of the infrastructure to which you and I are part. You may believe that but you know better, and it infuriates you that they are fuller than you. Their bodies decay, but you are stretched and eaten away as you live longer. You consume yourself, to the soul." 

Teleb smirked. "I have never been stronger. You are a fool to think so highly of what can be destroyed so easily. There is nothing about mortality I envy!" 

"You have not lived long enough to envy it, and you are a fool to believe that they _are_ destroyed so easily." 

"I fail to comprehend you. Human beings are not immortal." 

Mandred smiled and grasped the other man by the throat, pulling him up and holding him very still, squeezing just enough for him to feel it. "Aren't they?" he said, staring into the other man's eyes. 

Confusion and wonder rippled across Teleb's face, but whatever revelation he might have had died suddenly, perhaps is stubborn disbelief, and an aura surrounded him. Mandred hissed as pressure built between them, swelling until he was thrown back bodily. He regrained balance in time to see Teleb slide away from the wall. 

Teleb stumbled away from him and his eyes blazed as if filled with lightning. A wind picked up, whistling about their ears as Teleb stood firmly in the street, his aura shining about him like the light of the sun. Great cracks rent the concrete, racing down the middle, widening the split in the pavement. Mandred grunted and moved to one side as the concrete sunk into a hole where he had been standing. The buildings lining the street trembled on their foundations. Windows shattered, glass cascading to the pavement below. 

Mandred straightened and drew on his own power, thanking Immilie silently for clearing out the area. Bracing against the wind, Mandred flung his forearm at nothing, but the boost he gave the motion sent Teleb flying. The wind died as the Renegade was knocked off his feet, the colony stopped shaking. Quickly, Mandred repaired the damage, reversing the weave of destruction, reknitting the stone together, smoothing the lines as if they had never been disturbed. Teleb hit the ground as he finished, bruised both from the blow and the backlash. 

"How did you...?" 

Mandred bounded after him, grasping him about he collar and hoisting him off the ground. "You are not powerful enough for me," he said. "You can not win here. It is in your best interest to yield." 

"I expect no mercy." 

"Mercy is not something to be expected," Mandred replied, "or it would not be mercy." 

Teleb attempted to lash out, but Mandred struck him down again. And again. At length, Teleb cursed and lay still, breathing shallowly, tears leaking from his eyes. "You handle me like a child," he gasped. 

Mandred released him forcibly and he fell heavily to the ground. "So you are a child, playing children's cruel and spiteful games." Calmly, he knelt and relieved Teleb of the crystals he had taken from Relena. Without a glance he deposited them in his pocket, having already stared at them a great deal the last few weeks, so much that they gave him a headache. Such small things, trinkets to their maker. Ranlath could produce them by the hundreds if he had the inclination. It was odd that such pain had come from them. Heero was suffering. Relena was dying. Falora was fading. He had the sudden desire to kill Teleb. 

"Easy, Master Mandred," a new voice cautioned, "Even _you_ can be called into account before the Council." 

Mandred looked up to see another Alfarian step from behind the building--a physically impressive figure--and stood back as he approached. The newcomer stood threateningly over Teleb, but it was Mandred he looked in the eye. Soronith, Head General of Elneira appeared to have been sent by the way he stood expectantly, waiting for permission to intercede. Mandred smiled. Heero would like Soronith, a soldier to his bootsoles, but Heero would never meet him. Mandred had broken too many rules already. 

"Take him," Mandred told him calmly. "If that is why you are here." Falora was losing strength. 

Soronith bowed to him respectfully, but the gaze he leveled at Teleb could have burned through a brick wall. "You're under arrest," Soronith hissed into Teleb's ear, "for treason, assault and battery, abduction, murder in the first and second degree, attempted murder, cruelty, fraud and theft. Do you want me to go on? You are called before the Council for retribution and have the right to a trial without jury, having already been condemned by Elneiran Law." 

Teleb said nothing, but his eyes glowed balefully as he was pulled roughly to his feet. "One day you will all realize what you are and what it means, and then you will regret this. We were not a people meant to serve!" 

"No one is made to destroy and torture life, Renegade." Deftly, Soronith blankeded the other Alfarian's consciousness, driving him into a deep sleep. Teleb collapsed against the General without resistence, unconscious. Soronith lifted him without touching him and created a portal by his head, an oval of blue light cut into the air. "I'll come back for you, Mandred," he said over his shoulder, the authority of the Throne behind him. Only the power of the Throne could speak to a Master that way. "This should not have happened today." Mandred nodded in understanding, but said nothing. Soronith would have to take Teleb back and Mandred would have a little while to arrange things here, to break more rules and save what could be saved, to explain what could be explained. When the portal closed after Soronith and his burden, Mandred made his own portal, a direct path back to the room where for Falora was rapidly losing strength, where Relena lay burned and twisted, dead, if Falora had not linked the girl to her own life force and suspended them both. Dead anyway, if he could not save her in time. 

For the space of a heartbeat, the time it took to step through a portal, blue light engulfed everything, sliding across the skin like water. There was kinetic energy in the space between one place and the next, power that streamlined through the air at such incredible speeds it was difficult to detect any motion at all. In that split second of time, Mandred touched that power, and stepped between space and time to where Heero waited for him, and he dreaded facing those shadowed eyes.   
  
  



	17. Consequences of Magic

The Mandred Chronicles: 

Consequences of Magic 

by zapenstap 

  
  
  


Heero remained kneeling for a moment, shielding his eyes as the wind died down about him. The supernatural light lighting up his face faded with the closing of the portal. In silence, Mandred followed Teleb out of the room, moving at a controlled, deliberate pace, the nimbus surrounding him still burning with Teleb's cracking orange flame. As he disspeared beyond the archway, the light went with him, the tension of power went with him, but Heero could still feel lit, rumbling like thunder in the distance. 

Only then did Heero begin to breathe again, lowering his arm. His body shook with a strange trembling, the aftershock of pent up emotion and desperationg fizzling to nothingness. There had been real _rage_ in Mandred's eyes, a fury fit to burn the world. It was something Heero had never seen or even imagined before in Mandred, and it frightened him. Vainly he sought for the memory of their pleasant conversations, of Mandred's hearty laugh and undying patience, but they alluded him. Mandred was terror itself. He was something other than human, clearly now, something dark and strange, full of fire and mystery. 

Kyra broke the ominous quiet. "Stay with me, Falora," she said breathily, cradling the tiny girl's head in her lap, stroking her face and hair. "Just hold on." 

Falora whimpered and Heero turned to look at her closely for the first time. Her face was ashen, her eyes squeezed tightly shut, a teardrop glimmering in the corner of her eye. The hands at her sides trembled as if she were clenching them, as if she were fighting to hold tightly to something that was trying to pull away. Abruptly her eyes opened and she stared up at Kyra, her brow crinkled and sweating. She said something, too softly to be heard, and Kyra responded in kind, encouragement and concerned urgency equal in her face. 

"I'm not sure we weren't better off before!" Duo gasped suddenly. He was staring after the way Mandred had gone, his eyes attached to the door as if glued there, his reaction a bit delayed in his shock. Duo swallowed and managed to turn his head to look at Heero. He looked positively bewildered. "Was that was Mandred? He's one of these guys too?" 

Emotion leapt in Heero's gut; fear, hope, anger... Mandred. Mandred. None of it made any sense, but the reaction surprised and confused him, it was so strong. His Mandred was... something else. Lies, betrayal... no... Kyra had told him, but to see it... It was all so strange, like watching a dream. Was he concerned, afraid, angry, hopeful...desperate? 

Kyra saved him from having to respond, her head lifting from its studious concern over Falora to look in Duo's direction, and a bit beyond him. Her usual jovial face was creased with worry...and love. "Is Coran awake?" she asked. Those commanding, steady tones in her voice made her seem as confident and in control as always, but that look in her eye betrayed her. She was fighting, trying to control the situation, trying keep everyone and everything that depended on her to keep rolling forever forward, to make serious problem appear trivial by will alone. Falora certainly depended on her. Heero could tell just from the way she relaxed at the sound of Kyra's voice, the way her brow smoothed and her breathing deepened. 

Duo glanced behind him. "No. Not yet. He looked pretty peaceful, though." 

Kyra smiled then, her lips curving slightly. The concern in her eyes faded some and Heero caught a flash of humor flit across her face. "He's sleeping, eh?" she said, and must have kept relief out of her voice by some miracle. "That's _so_ like him!" she chuckled. "I should kick him," she said matter-of-factly. 

Falora coughed. "No. Let him sleep. Keep me awake." 

"Oh, right," Kyra said, but Heero knew she hadn't forgotten Falora, not in the way she held her so carefully, nor in the controlled tone of her voice, though her eyes lingered over Coran's still form. "Want me to tell you a story?" she said cheerily. 

Falora smiled weakly. 

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. 

"Earthquake," Duo muttered in amazement. 

"The colonies don't _have_ earthquakes!" Heero shouted. 

The lights swayed alarmingly overhead, the rumbling of the building thudded loudly in their ears. There was no protection, no shelter. Coran awoke suddenly, coughing as dust rose from the floor. 

Relena moved with the ground, unaware of the phenomenon. Relena! Panic clenching around his heart, Heero rose and darted to her side, holding her as the world rocked alarmingly, but as he touched her, he could feel in his blood her tortured body and felt his heart break. Oh God, she was _dead_. Flashes of her exploded in his mind, the brightness of her hair, her sad smile, the lonely look in her eyes that always seemed to plead with him, the way she always singled him out in a crowd with a glance or a gesture. She was so kind, so caring, so selfless, so strong. A classy, well-bred girl with a heart like a lion, a soldier princess... She was dead. 

He forgot about the shaking of the ground. His heart was going to shatter. Grief welled up in him, poured over his head. He fought back the pain, the rage, the despair, physically shaking with the effort. _Mandred, help me._

there must have been something in his face because Duo stared at him as he tried to steady himself. "...Heero?" 

Cracks rent the earth, crawling across the floor like spiders webs, racing up the walls. They were not large, but their existence was alarming. Clutching Relena close, Heero stared about him with wild eyes. "Is the colony going to break?" 

"No," Kyra gasped, bracing herself with one hand while still holding Falora. "This won't be felt everywhere. This is Mandred's doing, or Teleb's. Either way, it will be over before any serious damage can be done." She sounded so certain, but... 

"These buildings aren't built to stand up to earthquakes," Coran coughed, speaking suddenly as he rose to his hands and knees. "I hope Mandred had the foresight to evacuate. Who knows what Teleb might do when cornered?" He looked at Falora. "Is she going to be okay?" 

"Yeah," Kyra said, again with absolute confidence, but Heero wasn't sure how well he believed it. 

"Is Mandred in danger?" Duo asked. "Can we help him in any way?" 

"No," Kyra said. "Mandred will be fine. He's a Master. There is a reason Teleb is afraid of him. He's gentler than Ranlath and he's not a bouty hunter, but he knows things the Throne has forgotten and he won't waste much time. Falora can't hold on forever." 

As she spoke so reassuringly, the shaking and rumbling suddenly ceased, but other sounds could be heard, thuds and crashes like thunder and lightning just overhead. 

Heero stroked Relena's face, listening to the sounds. Did anyone care that she was dead, or could they just not believe it, as he could not believe it? She still seemed to glow faintly, but he wondered if he was imagining it. She could not survive such treatment for this long. It was a mercy she was dead. A mercy... He felt his heart constrict at the thought. He didn't know how long he stared at her, absorbing the crisp and blackened skin, the burnt and broken hair. It wasn't really her, not like this, not something that had been so lovely... Suddenly there was tremendous rumble like something hitting the floor with great speed. 

"They're outside," Falora gasped suddenly, her eyes clenched shut. "Someone else has come. Teleb is defeated." Then she groaned in pain. 

Coran scowled. "That's so irritating. After all we did... Masters." 

Kyra just looked at him, but she was smiling now, triumph in her eyes. How could they be so confident? 

"How many of these Renegades have you... fought like this?" Duo asked in wonder. 

"A few," Kyra said. "This encounter has been rather mild really, but the consequences are still..." She shook her head. "Mandred will fix it. He'll fix everything." 

Heero was no longer listening. Relena _was_ glowing. And she still felt warm, but he could not understand how. He swept back her bangs and felt her forehead. Yes, she was warm. He felt for her pulse under her chin and felt her blood pumping beneath his fingertips in amazement. Slowly, but steadily. She seemed to pulse with a golden light. Fury and hope crashed together inside him almost at once. "What is wrong with Relena?" he shouted in panic. 

Everyone stared at him in amazement. 

His breathing quickened. "Has Teleb done something to her? Is he extending her pain? Why can't he just let her_ die_." He kissed her forehead and felt her ragged breathing against his throat. She _breathed_... "Don't make me kill you," he half-cursed aloud to her through sudden flowing tears. He had never cried before, but he did not notice it now. "Don't make me kill you. Why won't you just die?" 

"Falora is holding her," Kyra said to him, urgently now. He trembled, raising his eyes to look at her. She held his gaze. "Falora has suspended her life state by putting it in time with her own, holding her here. She's not dead. It is possible she can be saved. Even if you stab her in the heart this moment she will live as long as Falora holds her. But Falora is fast losing strength." 

Alive... 

He kissed Relena's forehead again, pulling her close, tears drying on his cheeks. _Live_, he thought._ Live for you, not for me, but live. _Inside, his whole body shook with pain and rage and desperation. How could this have happened? He couldn't believe her dead anyway. Not her. Falora was holding her. She could be saved. 

_Mandred... _He wasn't human. Had he been lied to all this time? It didn't matter, if she could be saved. 

Blue light glowed suddenly pale and cold on his face. Heero looked up, cheeks stained with tears as Mandred suddenly returned, stepping out of thin air. The bright aura that had surrounded him vanished immediately. So did the portal. He looked normal, solid and patient, wise and caring. He looked as he always had. The anger had vanished from his face; the familiar thoughtfulness had replaced it. He strode into the room purposefully, as he had when coming home in the evenings. 

Home. 

Heero laid Relena carefully down and surged to his feet without any clear purpose. All he knew was the grief in his heart, the anguish and uselessness that seemed all there was left of his being. That, and an untamable and irrational fury. 

"You lied to me!" he shouted in rage. "You, Master! Alfarian! Save her!" he yelled, demanded, ordered. He had never shouted at Mandred. He had never even dreamed of it, but crushing sorrow blanketed his reason and he felt as if his heart had stopped beating. "You can save her! You have the power! Damn you, save her!" Tears streaked his face, but he did not care and did not stop. He fell on Mandred like an enemy, all the while begging for his help. He aimed blows at his face and chest, clumsily, but in all seriousness. And Mandred somehow caught each and every one without effort. "This is your fault," Heero cried, and lost his momentum. His punches became weak and his whole body shook with tears and anguish. Mandred stopped blocking his attacks and suddenly Heero found himself being held, sobbing uncontrollably like a baby. "Nothing in my life was good before," he choked. He had never been held before, not that he could remember. He gasped, his legs weak, his body drained of energy. 

"Is this about you?" Mandred asked gently. 

"No," Heero said thickly, and glanced up. There was sorrow in Mandred's eyes and the hint of tears, but it was little more than for the present moment. Heero suddenly perceived that Mandred had many sorrows, a thousand times more grief than Heero had ever known in his own life. And more regrets too. "Can you save her life?" he asked hoarsely, remembering who this man was, who he believed him to be. He wasn't even clearly sure what that meant, but he believed. 

"It is against the commands to interfere directly in the healing or harming of Outworlders," Mandred said. Heero felt as if a cloud had covered the sun. "But I will heal her anyway, if she wants to come back," Mandred continued, stepping away and past him toward Relena. "Come with me. You must call her. She will hearken to your voice if anyone's and I must concentrate." 

"Hurry, Mandred," Kyra said. "Falora is fading." 

Heero cursed himself for wasting time. Of course Mandred would do what he could. Against the commands? "What will happen if you disobey the commands and save Relena?" he asked. 

"I will be apprehended and taken to trial," Mandred murmured without much concern, kneeling beside Relena's scorched and battered body. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed her. "There I will be judged and the Council will pronounce a sentence." 

"Surely they won't incarcerate you for saving a life," Duo interjected. "I mean, Teleb did this to her, right? So isn't it your people's responsibility in a way?" 

"The Council will decide that," Mandred said. "Please be quiet. She is wounded to the death and in great pain of body. Teleb was not kind." A softly glowing aura sprang up around him. 

Heero watched anxiously, not caring about the strangeness of Mandred's abilities as he knelt on the other side of Relena. He took her left hand, blackened on one side, and clasped it tightly. Would she ever be able to walk again? Or see? Or smile? Her career would be ruined, as often in the media as she was, for she was no longer photogenic. He would have to make amends for that, somehow, if Mandred really could save her life. 

Mandred laid a hand on Relena's forehead and smoothed back her bristling hair, his eyes running over her body, assessing the damage. The aura around him blazed brightly and Relena too began to glow. "She's in my control now, Falora," he said quietly. "Release her to me." 

The soft golden glow Heero had noticed earlier vanished. Relena gasped, coming suddenly to life, but she was dying. Heero could tell she was dying. He could feel the energy ebbing away, could see her body sinking, her heart stopping. 

"Relena," Heero called. 

Mandred nodded, though he did not take his eyes from her. 

And something changed. Abruptly Relena took in a deep breath, her chest rising, and Heero felt the blood pumping steadily in the veins of her wrist. She lived, a broken, blackened corps, but she lived... 

He opened his mouth to speak to her, to tell her.... 

He had thought it was done, but then realized in amazement that he was mistaken. Relena lay unconscious, her life systems restored but her body still twisted and blackened when suddenly she flashed a solid white. Light rushed through her skin, turning her translucent. To Heero's amazement, from the tips of her toes to the top of her head, the burned and scalded skin smoothed itself and became whole. Dead skin flaked away and vanished, absorbed into the light. The blackened hand Heero clasped rejuvenated, turning pale and shapely once more, the skin smooth and soft. The crisp, ruined flesh melted back into place and life and color flooded suddenly her face, flushing smooth cheeks. The light ebbed away, leaving a residue of newness. And then she opened her eyes, glowing blue like the light from the portals, staring into his. He thought the oceans must be contained within them, and could not wrench his gaze away. But she let out another gasp, convulsing slightly in shock as if ice water had been poured over her head. Her eyes rolled back to look at Mandred. Heero started as strength came suddenly into to her hands, for she squeezed his tightly and sat up, staring at Mandred. Her honey-blonde hair, soft and long, fell about her shoulders where moments before it had been crisp and dead. Heero let go of her in astonishment. 

"Are you an angel?" she said breathlessly to Mandred. 

"No," he replied with a smile. "How do you feel, my dear?" 

"Like the work is all done and it's the beginning of summer," she said breathlessly. Her hand clutched at Heero's again, and she turned to him in amazement. "How is this possible?" she asked. "I was sure I was dying." 

He touched her face uncertainly, bewildered, but no, it was as soft and whole as it looked. She stared at him in surprise as he touched her, but he did not notice. "I don't know," he said at last, drawing his hand away. He blinked, coming to himself. "Relena, you've met Mandred. This is his miracle." 

She looked again at Mandred in surprise. "Sir," she breathed. 

"Miracles belong to God and the people who receive them," Mandred refuted contritely. "This is standard procedure in Alfarian medical attention." 

"I can't do it," Falora said dreamily. 

"You're not an Alfarian," Mandred replied, but he still seemed absorbed in looking Relena over, as if making notes about her condition and health. 

Heero turned to look at Falora. Her face was pale, but no longer ashen and she sat up slowly, blinking tiredly, though with a more natural fatique. 

"You couldn't heal a bruise," Kyra told her. "And I thought you were supposed to be fainting?" 

"I feel better now," she said firmly with a child-like air. 

"You need sleep," Mandred said firmly, "and you'll be right as rain." 

"That's our Falora!" Coran laughed, then added, "I could use a nap too." 

Heero wasn't watching them. Relena tucked her hair behind her ear and inspected her own skin in growing astonishment, turning her hands over before her eyes. Duo seemed interested too, sitting cross-legged several feet away and peering at Relena with a scrutinizing eye. 

"How do you feel?" Mandred asked. "You seem fully recovered from what I can tell." 

"I feel fine," Relena said. "I hardly remember anything." She blinked. "My eyes, my skin... How is this possible?" 

"Pain is a passing thing," Mandred said, shifting to stand. "That's part of its wonder. I am glad you are well." 

Mandred stood, crossed the space between them and took Heero's head in his hands, staring deeply into his eyes. Heero gasped as a feeling like cold water rushed through him, followed by a glowing warmth that left him drowsy. Yet, when Mandred took his hands away, he felt fully restored. Even his mind seemed more aware, his emotions more stable. Mandred had already left him and walked to Duo, who backed up several paces with wide eyes before Mandred caught him. Duo tittered shakily as Mandred released him and moved on to Coran, who accepted his administration patiently. Heero got to his feet uncertainly and offered Relena a hand to rise. She took it with a smile, pulling herself up to stand beside him. He thought she might wobble, but she seemed steady enough, and merely held his hand. 

Falora was the last Mandred came to, but she fended him off. "If you heal me now, I'll just drop to sleep. I want to stay awake for a bit." 

Mandred nodded. 

"How come?" Duo asked. "I mean, I feel _more_ awake." 

"I've restored your energy with mine," Mandred informed him. "But Falora's exhaustion is different than yours. She is magic-weary, and my life energy would not aid her there. Sleep is what she really needs, so she can restore herself." 

"Are _you_ tired now?" Relena asked Mandred. 

"A little. Not much." He smiled mysteriously. "I have great resources of strength." 

"Mandred," a new voice game softly and gravely. Everyone turned to see Immilie standing in the doorway. An aura of white surrounded her slim form and she stood patiently with timeless grace. She was more beautiful than Heero remembered, like an angel. There seemed to be a strange glittering about her hair, as if it were threaded with silver, but he could not make it out against the light of her aura She smiled a small, secretive smile and abruptly both the aura and the strange beauty vanished. "You're in trouble," she said with over-severity, leaning against the doorway. 

"Immilie," Heero informed Duo. Duo blinked and scratched his head. 

Mandred hummed a little tune which probably had some significance between them because she smiled. 

"Don't worry, Mandred," Falora said brightly. "I won't tell the Council." 

"But I will," Immilie said quietly, folding her hands in front of her. Her expression was calm and warm, but resolute, and Mandrd nodded thoughtfully.   
  
  


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Originally, this was the last chapter, but it was getting long. I divided it up so I can be more thorough with the resolution. Does it flow awkwardly? Revising something is more difficult than writing it straight through sometimes. Please Review!   
  
  
  



	18. Resolution

The Mandred Chronicles: 

Resolution 

by zapenstap 

  
  
  
  


Immilie's pronouncment hung like certain doom over Heero's head. Relena, still looking so new and lovely, turned to him for answers with shining, troubled eyes. He couldn't reply. 

"But why?" Duo sputtered for him. "Aren't you two... together? Why would you betray him?" 

Immile's eyes sparkled and she crossed the room like a swan. She did not touch Mandred, but she stood before him like a herald, a slender blade of a woman bearing a profound message of doom. "Mandred has broken a rule and this time he will confess it," she said simply. "That's accountability, even if the cause was just." She smiled then at Relena. "I am glad you are better," she said. "I have enjoyed our conversations and it was not my wish that you be caught up in this. I, too, will have something to say to the Council." 

Heero swallowed, gaze swinging between Immilie and Mandred, feeling distraught. "Mandred..." he began. 

"Who came?" Falora asked. "I felt..." 

"Soronith," Mandred told her. 

"Ah," Coran said. "That explains it." 

"Soronith witnessed no verifiable breach in covenant," Immilie said dismissively. "_I_ will hold you accountable." 

Heero swallowed. "Mandred...?" he asked again. "What's going to happen to you?" 

Mandred smiled at him mysteriously. 

"Nothing," Kyra said curtly and suddenly, startling all of them with the abrupt candidness of her tone. "I hold you accountable too, Mandred," she added briskly, almost with a flippant air. "I'm employed under the Throne after all, not you." 

Immilie blinked. "Of course," she said thoughtfully. 

Kyra stood, helping Falora to her feet. "You all right?" she asked her friends, who minutes ago had not been able to lift her head. 

Falora bounded to her feet like a deer, stamping her feet and waving her arms as if checking to make sure everything worked properly. She smiled broadly. Heero thought she was the strangest person he had ever met, hysterically happy one moment, intensely focused the next. Any moment he somehow felt that she might burst into song or tears, an even chance either way. She took direction without the flicker of an eyelash, absorbed pain like a soldier and rebounded with a sort of dismissive casualty that surprised even him. He wondered about these people, normal human beings seemingly so ingrained in Mandred's Alfarian world. 

Kyra ignored Falora's antics as if overly used to them, shaking her head at Immilie. "Yeah, well, I do the Masters a lot of favors, but my duties lie with Shine and Soronith and the Council." She looked over at Heero with strength in her gaze, a presence of assurity about her person. "Don't worry about it and don't listen to them," she told him. "The Council won't do anything to Mandred. I know them all, more personally than I need to. They wouldn't dare even if they had cause to be angry about something. Incarcerate a Master? Kiayne will probably congratulate him. Half the Council won't even show up to the proceedings." 

"Can you imagine Elayse coming?" Coran said thoughtfully. "Or God forbid, Ramdula?" 

"Elayse? Sure," Kyra said dryly. "Maybe to interrogate him about lost lore, but that's the only reason she'd step out of the University in Sileen, same as everybody else. Well, Ramdula would never come." She shook her head and turned back to Heero. "Of all the Masters, Mandred has the most scruples, except maybe Quenden, but that's different. Master Wushair appears before Council all the time for judgment. Ranlath is sometimes requested, but it's a forty per cent chance that he'll show up to a mandatory review. Wushair's there almost every month for some rule or another and they rarely even rebuke _her, _not that is would do any good if they did, and you should hear about some of the rules Wushair breaks! Mandred's the only one who hasn't officially broken the rules yet, or at least been caught doing it. Look at Immilie. That's glee in her face. She wants to bring him down just to bring him down. Look at her!" 

And Immilie laughed, hiding her face with her hand and hair, face flushed even as she smiled. "He's too good," she said defensively. "He needs to fall down with the rest of us once in a while. I need to get him to come back to Elneira and reaquaint himself with normal people before I can marry him." 

"Normal?" Coran muttered. "No one is normal in Elneira." 

"_That's_ all it takes?" Mandred laughed at Immilie. "And here I uphold you as a model for society and all you want is for me to make mistakes and live with common folk? My dear Immilie, I will become a criminal and live a house with a white picket fence in Cherian for you." 

"Except than Cherian's not there anymore," Kyra reminded him. "It was destroyed." 

Mandred waved her away. "That's right. I had fogotten." 

"But you see, that's what I mean," Immilie told him, losing some of her formality. "You're out of it. I have been traveling for a long time with the Movement, but I do not wish to sever my connection with home eternally. Come back with me and show me that you are not so strange, that we are not so strange together." 

"You want me to reintegrate myself in society, is that it?" Mandred asked her. 

"It's what you want me to do," Heero said quietly, and everyone stopped to look at him. 

Mandred chuckled. "Very clever," he said to Heero. "And the point well taken, but I already told you I would, Immilie. Wherever you want to go we will go. I've been everywhere else anyway. I think I am ready to settle down for a while, wherever you want, whatever you want." 

"I think it would do you good," Immilie said, "to be recognized for who and what you are where you are living, and not be strange. I want to go home." 

"God forbid if I live another ten thousand years and never understand the minds of women," Mandred said in exasperation. "You have the possibility of galaxies open before you and all you want to do is go home." 

"I want a family," she said defiantly. 

Mandred stared at her in absolute confounded shock. 

Heero almost laughed at his mentor's reaction. He had never seen Mandred so surprised, so absoultely bewildered by anything anyone had said before. The thought of Mandred having a family, having his own children was bewildering to Heero; how it must seem to Mandred was incomprehensible. But his mentor nodded thoughtfully, smiled and bowed to Immilie. "As you say, my lady," he said. "It seems I have a trial to attend." 

"What about Teleb?" Duo asked. "What did you do with him?" 

"Oh, I defeated him," Mandred said brightly with his usual sort of confident matter-of-factness. "Don't you think I had forgotten him. Soronith is the Head General of Elneira, my home country. He came to me and took Teleb with him. He will expect me in Elneira soon, but I had to repair the damage Teleb had done here, and I needed to retrieve the diamond." 

Falora moaned. "I thought you were going to let me keep it!" she wailed. 

"Oh no, I think not," Mandred said. "Doubtless there is some great project underway through which it will be of some assistance. I did not ask Ranlath what he made them for. Why do you need it?" 

"Maybe he's making it for you, Falora," Kyra suggested with overstated generality. "You are Ranlath's pet project." 

Falora seemed to muse on that thoughtfully, completely unoffended. 

There was so much here that Heero did not understand, names and places that were not familar, yet suddenly a sort of background formed behind Mandred, a home, a people, a place to which he belonged. There were people, friends, connections, relationships... 

"Then you're really leaving," Heero said quietly. 

Mandred turned to him and his eyes glowed warmly. "Yes, I really am. I warned you the time would come, and though this is not precisely how I envisioned it, I can not stay." 

"You never really belonged here, I guess," Heero said, but there was dullness in his heart. "I suppose there's little use in saying good-bye." 

Perhaps in this Elneira of his Mandred would be normal, an extraordinary normal from what he could gather about him, but normal all the same. Perhaps Heero too could learn to make a home, in this world, without Mandred, who did not really belong here at all. But Heero had been loved for awhile, shown what having a home was like, and he had that box back with all his papers and family and... Perhaps he could be an extraordinary normal too. An ex-gundam pilot who was also a human being. Would there be a girl like Immilie to take him back? He looked at Relena and wondered suddenly why he had never considered it before. She must have caught his gaze because she looked up at him suddenly and flushed. _Maybe_. 

"Oh, I'll be back," Mandred said suddenly and Heero raised his head in surprise. Mandred smiled. "Did you think I would vanish forever? I have been here decades longer than most places, and I will continue to haunt it for some time, I think. I just won't take up residence. It's important to know where your roots are, and what are you vacation places. Besides," he said fondly, "I don't form a connection with youth and then drop them when they turn eighteen. You should know better than that. You've become like a son to me and there's still much we haven't discussed. I want to know your mind more, so you will see much of me," he continued. "And you are certainly invited to my wedding. And I will be around for all the important events in your life as well. I wouldn't miss them." 

So Mandred would not go away forever. He was merely going home. Heero smiled. 

"And if I ever have the need,_ I'll_ call on you," Kyra said. "No, really. You may not believe me, but I will. Now that you know this much, why not? I use all my friends like that." 

"She does," Falora affirmed. 

"That's enough, Kyra," Mandred warned. "What I want to know is what Heero is going to do when I am gone so I may find him later." 

"I'm going to Earth," Heero said. "Lady Une and Noin may have a use for me as a Preventor, but I can do anything I want." Relena turned to him in surprise, emotion dancing in her eyes. He smiled at her, but then looked back at Mandred. "And visit my Great Aunt Ruth," he added. 

"What?" Duo said in puzzlement at this last. Relena's expression changed to confusion. 

"Heero will share his box with you later," Mandred told them briskly. "I wish you the best, Heero. I'm glad you've settled that in you own mind. Something will have to be done about the house. I do not know if I will be permitted to handle it." 

"I can do it," Heere said. 

Mandred nodded. "Then you can buy your own place on the Earth and do whatever you like." 

"I'd like that," Heero said. 

"Good. Remember to take care of the puppy." 

"Of course," Heero said. 

"You have a puppy?" Relena asked. "Can I see him?" 

Heero nodded. 

"Can we get out of here?" Duo whined. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I really hate this building. Besides, I'm hungry. I want to get something to eat." 

Kyra gasped. "I forgot all about the shortcake!" 

"Did you turn the oven off?" Mandred demanded. "It would be a shame if my house burned down." 

"Yeah, I think so," Kyra said. "Oh, but it's going to be all _cold_ now." 

"We'll heat it up," Falora said reassuringly, her optimism so bold it ought to have been reserved for a serious crisis. "It'll be all right. We'll go back to Mandred's and eat shortcake before he and Immilie go." 

"And us too," Coran said. "I want to go home too." 

"You don't live here?" Relena asked. She didn't seem particularly bewildered by the fact that Mandred and Immilie were from somewhere else. Teleb must have communicated something, if what she had seen of them had not convinced her. 

"No," Kyra said, folding her hands. "We're not from Mandred's world," she looked at Coran, "Well, I'm not anyway, but we'll go back with Mandred this time, I think. I want to sit in at his trial." 

Mandred's eyebrows rose. Immilie shook her head and muttered something unintelligible. 

"What about Teleb?" Duo asked. 

"I could care less what happens to Teleb," Kyra said, staring at nothing as she thought. "Standard Renegade proceedings. I'd much rather see Mandred get yelled at." 

Immilie shook her head. "I am afraid others will share your interest." 

"Like who...?" Coran asked, taking Kyra by the arm and leading the way out. Immile and Mandred followed behind them, ngaged in conversation about unfamiliar people and places. Heero followed with Relena just beside him. Falora fell back beside Duo, chatting with him about what sounded like a flight of stairs and something about a trapped door. Duo blinked at her for a moment in confusion and then suddenly seemed to catch her line her thinking, laughing suddenly. Heero just shook his head, tuning them out. Relena was smiling at him, flowing by his side in silence. 

They passed out a separate exit from the one they had entered, stepping out a side door into the sudden daylight. They had only been inside for a few hours, though it felt like weeks. Heero's gaze swept across the colony in amazement. Shockingly, there were cracks in the roads, including a huge gaping one in the middle of the street. A few cars in the parking lot had been toppled. Heero looked back at the building and was surprised to see a large part of the southern wall missing, though debris lay cluttered about outside and in. Across the street from the gaping hole, the wall of a building was burnt and blackened. 

"What happened here?" Relena asked. 

"Mandred and Teleb," Falora said from behind them. "I could sense Teleb laying waste to everything in this area. It was quite distracting. I'm surprised there's not more damage." 

"There was," Mandred said. "I fixed it as we went along." 

Heero blinked. He fixed it _as_ he fought Teleb? 

"Heero!" 

Heero turned to see Wufei Chang and Sally Po running down the street toward them. Relena stepped out from behind him. 

"Oh, she's all right," Sally said breathlessly. "I knew you could do it, Heero." 

Heero opened his mouth the forestall any such notion, but Kyra shook her head at him. He understood. How would he explain it? So he said nothing. 

Wufei turned toward Mandred and Immilie with an accusatory stare. "He's wanted for questioning," he said darkly and suspiciously. "Where is Teleb?" 

"In a place of darkness," Mandred replied ominously, and then more lightly, "I am taking him to trial." 

"Mandred and I are returning home," Immilie said to Wufei, "where Mandred awaits trial. Justice will be dealt when the finer matters of these proceedings are analyzed." 

Kyra's face was a peculiar color and expression, as if she were trying hard not to laugh. 

"Come to my house and have some shortcake," Heero said blankly to the Preventors in the awkward silence that followed. Relena smiled at him. 

"Heero cut the strawberries," Kyra added, as if that was somehow going to entice company. 

For some reason Duo found what she had said funny and laughed uproariously. Nothing anybody said or did could keep him quiet. 

"I'd love to," Sally replied, relaxing. "Come on, Wufei." 

Wufei crossed his arms, eyeing them all with an aloof air. "I suppose I might as well." 

Everyone except Wufei, Sally, Mandred and Immilie piled into Kyra's car, which was simply waiting for them in the parking lot, completely untouched by the chaos. Heero was forced to squeeze in the back with Duo, Falora and Relena, but since it was Relena who ended up pressed close to him, he didn't mind so much. Something about her was very soothing and he didn't feel pressed to say anything on the way home. When they arrived at his house, Heero let Duo met up with Wufei and Sally and Heero let Duo make up a story about what had "really" happened, though he suspected neither Sally nor Wufei bought it. But, of course, that's why he had Duo say it. Lies from Heero would have made the issue seem greater than it really was, but Duo was capable of covering up things that didn't really need it. At any rate, the Preventors did not ask questions, and from their expressions, Heero surmised that they must had seen _something_ and now simply preferred not to know. All the better for everybody, as far as he was concerned. 

"Well, Heero," Mandred said suddenly, standing by his shoulder. "How do you feel coming home?" 

"It will strange without you here, until I get my own place." 

"Are you all right with that?" Heero nodded and felt Mandred's hand on his shoulder. "Take care of yourself," his mentor said quietly. "It's a big world. Don't get lost in it." 

Heero turned to look at him. "Thank you," he said quietly, gratefully. "I think I'll be okay." 

"I know," Mandred replied with solid confidence. 

Once indoors, Heero set the example by removing his shoes, but let Mandred play the host when he agreed to Relena's hesitant request to show her around. Relena took great delight in exploring his house, her eyes lingering on the things in his room that he had accumlated. Heero followed along behind her fondly, not minding that someone was taking an interest in what he found interesting. He had never had things to show off before. Relena also made over Ted fit to spoil him, but Ted was so excited by the presence of so many new people entering the house that he could not sit still long enough for Relena to hold him. In his room, Relena discovered Heero's identity box, but before she could open it, Heero shut the lid lightly on her fingers and promised with a smile to share it with her another time. To this she agreed heartily as if he had handed her a fortune and they went back downstairs. 

Kyra and Immilie served the shortcake as everyone gathered around the dining room table, around which Heero and Mandred had to pull in chairs from other rooms to accommadate eveyone. Heero sat on one side of the table between Relena and Duo, listening quietly to everyone as they talked about everything and nothing for an hour or more. He didn't feel the need to talk, though he responded to anything put his way, and was comfortable merely being present and engaged. It was perhaps the greatest night Heero had ever spent at Mandred's, but he knew the end was coming. In the midst of the social hour, Mandred and Immilie excused themselves from the table and went into the hallway. After a moment, Kyra, Falora and Coran followed them, leaving the others to talk about the things of their lives that most interested them. Heero did not leave the table, but he turned his head and caught Mandred's eyes as he rounded the corner. Mandred smiled and mouthed "I'm proud of you," before he could no longer be seen. Heero felt strange as the words registered to him, but he smiled as he turned back, ignoring the flash of blue light that rose for an instant behind his head. 

"What was that?" Wufei asked suddenly, interrupting Duo. 

"Nothing," Heero said, realizing that now he was suddenly the host, and this was _his_ social gathering. "The others had to leave is all. Please continue." 

So the conversation picked up again and Heero sat back thoughtfully in his chair, watching and listening as his friends recounted old stories. Relena smiled at him from the chair to his right, her chin resting on her hands and her hair pulled back behind her. He smiled back at her, settled deeper into his chair, folded his arms, and sighed contentedly. 

_The end._   
  
  
  
  
  



	19. Mandred's Trial

There are no GW characters in this afterward, though they talk about them some. Hey! I don't have to write a disclaimer! Just to warn you, this goes back and forth from outright **comedy** to total seriousness. I think it's indicative of my life. You'll find out what happened to Teleb and also learn the "other side" of the Red Viper, Search and Seizure _and_ the Mandred Chronicles. Plus Mandred's sentence, of course! Sorry it's so long. 

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Mandred's Trial 

by Zapenstap 

  
  
  
  
  


Kyra Anderman removed her sunglasses as she stepped inside the lobby of the Alfarian Courthouse, feeling like she was stepping into a glamorized subway station in a foreign country. White marble paved the floors, but it glimmered like white crystal out of the corner of her eye, and the columns that marched down the sides against the walls were impressive. The building looked like a palace reformed to serve as a corporate office, only with that brilliant Alfarian style that made eveything formal look like a structure from heaven. Kyra folded her glasses and tucked them into her bag. 

Alfarians crossed the hallway individually or in groups. A dozen or so crossed her path in under a minute, some striding with a singular purpose and others gliding together in a social stroll. It'd been a few months since Kyra's last trip to Elneira, but it never ceased to amuse her to see so many all at once. In any place but this place they isolated themselves. But here there were no cover-ups, no mirages, nothing to make them "blend-in." A young Elneiran girl with long, silky white leaned against the entrance to the Courtroom. It took Kyra a moment to recognize imperial princess Anayla. 

"We really should have brought Heero," Kyra remarked to Immilie casually. "Don't you think he'd want to see this?" 

In actuality, Immilie's pale platinum blonde hair was threaded with white silver. Not gray, but actual white-silver, like slivers of glitter or snow falling down her head in running streams. She masked that in places outside her homeland, where such things were downright bizarre, but here, where magic made the very air feel crisp and full of thunder, there was no need. Immilie looked at her, crossing her arms. Her eyes were pale blue, like crystal, but they shone with warm light. She was shorter than Kyra, but she somehow gave the impression of looking down without condescension. "No," the Alfarian woman murmured in reply. "I think the glowing was quite enough for him." 

Kyra chuckled. "Getting nervous?" 

"No, not yet. Are you always this inquisitive?" 

Kyra ignored what she considered to be a rhetorical question. "I'm sure he's more relaxed than you." 

"I wouldn't doubt it," Immile said. "Though I'm not the one in... prison." 

Kyra snorted. Prison... Mandred's "prison" looked like a suite in a four-star hotel. 

"I'd trade rooms with him," she said seriously, remembering her dusky apartment with cracked floorboards and dripping faucets. 

Immilie laughed. "Even with the restrictions and guards and locked door?" 

"I'm used to those," she said, again in utmost sincerity. Besides, unless such gadgets were made by Ranlath, Kyra would bet her life Mandred would open his those restricting contractions and escape with none the wiser should he so choose. 

Immilie laughed again. "Let's get seated, shall we?" 

Kyra nodded and they crossed the room to speak with Anayla, who still stood beside the doors like a slender birch tree, her hands pressed against the wall behind her lower back. 

"Hey, Kyra," the princess greeted them. "Miss Immilie. You've both got reserved seats, I hear." 

"Because this is entertainment," Immilie said crossly. 

"I'm entertained by it," Kyra confessed. "Anybody else here that I know?" 

"Certainly," Anayla replied with a whimsical smile. "Ruler Kiayne traveled here all the way from Calanor and bought herself the judge's seat." 

"Bought?" Immilie exclaimed, half scandalized. 

"Excellent," Kyra remarked. Kiayne was a character. "Then I really will be entertained. Who else?" 

"Quenden, Wushair, and Ranlath, of course." 

Immilie nodded her head expectantly. Those were some of the other Masters. They alone were reason enough for a gathering of Alfarians across Elviron. 

"Among the mortal-types, Falora Eredes and Melontra Swordelven both showed up," Anayla added. 

"Melontra?" Kyra said in some surprise. She'd expected Falora, but not Mel. "Groovy. Coran's here too." 

"There's more," Anayla murmured sweetly, "but you should go in and be seated. They'll be calling order fairly soon and you'll want some time to chat. Everybody's laying bets on the sentence." 

Kyra laughed out loud as Immilie shook her head and they were both escorted inside. The room was like a large lecture hall, only with a railed-off stage in front. Tables were set up for the defendant and prosecutor and the witness stand and judge's box were fixed on the stage, all made of carved marble. The room itself was filled with Alfarians, several hundred of them, more than Kyra had seen all at once in a long time. Not one of them glowed and not all of them were strange looking, but those that were drew no extra notice, not here. Once inside, Immilie spotted friends of hers and she and Kyra parted for the time before things really got started. Kyra ran down the steps, her boots clunking heavily, and wound her way between Alfarians, some she knew and some she didn't, before sliding in beside a slender, blonde woman standing by the rail in front of the stage. 

Melontra Swordelven did not look at her immediately, arms crossed, staring straight ahead. Despite her delicate features and long, wispy blonde hair that hung lightly to her waist, Melontra was not a delicate woman. Her muscles were well-toned and she wore men's clothing, soft browns and greens for hunting, though cut trim for a woman's figure. In her eye there was a sharpness, an almost cynical afterglow that accented her ridged femininity strangely and sorrowfully. Melontra was mortal but not human. She looked human to most eyes, but in actuality she was Elven, or something the Alfarians considered part of the elvish category. She was the last of her particular tribe, from a world with a history so sordid with war she made the Gundam War look like a walk in the park. It was the Dark Age that never ended, never slowed. There was almost nothing left in Krathia that could be considered civilization; everything was chaos. Perhaps she had come by request, perhaps on a whim. 

"I was wondering if you were going to come," Melontra cut her off wryly with that smooth, low voice of hers, still not looking in Kyra's direction. "I heard you were mixed up in all this. Not that it surprises me." 

"They always call me first," Kyra returned. "Now that I think about it, _General_ Swordelven, they should have asked you." 

"From what I've heard," Melontra began with the beginnings of her infamous cynical humor, "my presence would probably have made the situation worse than it already was." 

"It still would have made for interesting confrontation," Kyra speculated. "I would have enjoyed seeing you mock everybody, even those who don't deserve it." She was not jesting. Had Melontra been there, everybody would have gotten their ideals verbally kicked. Melontra's ideology on war was strange and contradictory. She believed in justice and in forgiveness, but she would and had killed without mercy if her task called for it. Perhaps in that she was a bit like Heero, so efficient and practical about it all, but there were differences between them, and Melontra was constantly shifting. It was difficult to say what she believed exactly, but she had lived with war all her life, which was considerably longer than her apparent age, and she'd seen a great deal. Whatever she actually believed, she mocked everything too, and when it didn't matter so much, it was quite funny. But then, Melontra's world was a lost cause and Melontra had long ceased trying to save it. If she had grown callous about death and pain and suffering to the point where it was comical, well, Kyra could not blame her. 

"I hear they've achieved some form of Universal Peace," Melontra said smoothly. There was no emotion in her tone, no indication of what she thought of that. 

"Well, everyone wanted it," Kyra replied. 

"How peculiar," Melontra said. "Impossible it seems to me, but I suppose it makes sense, if things are globalized enough. Of course, it probably won't be that way forever. As soon as the people who've made this thing have passed, others with less understanding will take their place and conflict will begin anew. If their predecessors have done a good job, and there's a feeling of habit about it, it might take a few decades, maybe longer, but war will come again. It always does. There are plenty of ambitious bastards out there looking for a game, and it doesn't matter what they believe. It only takes one to start a conflict." 

"You don't have to tell me," Kyra said, raising her hands in defense. "I'm just trying to have a conversation. You and Mariemaia can drink to it sometime. You'll have to drink tea, though; she's only nine." 

"Yeah, well, I was only ten when I started. What's Mandred got to do with all of this?" 

Only ten when she started what? Drinking or warfare? But Melontra apparently wanted to change the subject. 

"Nothing with the war. He took in the gundam pilot Heero Yuy." 

"I see," Melontra said in remembrance. "That's a very Mandred thing to do. And Teleb just showed up?" 

"Something like that," Kyra replied. 

"I hope he left him bleeding." 

"I wasn't there." 

"What were you doing?" 

"Wheezing for air. I got thrown into a wall." 

"Again? They like to do that," Melontra commented. "You seem to have recovered, though." 

"Sort of like the time I got in a fight with that dragon," Kyra said off-handedly, but then she grinned. Everyone was still griping about the praise she got from that encounter. She hadn't done anything except get her ass kicked, but somehow the rumor got started that she was a dragon slayer and she couldn't shake it. 

Melontra knew the truth, though, and chuckled with the memory. So did most Alfarians. 

"Teleb was really _mean_ to Relena," Kyra said with emphasis. "I'm sure the Council will judge accordingly." 

"Teleb has a lot to pay for. Relena's the pacifist right?" 

"At one time." 

"Did Teleb light her on fire?" 

"I can't really say what he did exactly, but the results were similar." 

"He likes to do that as I recall. It's a bitch," Melontra finished. 

"You would know." 

Melontra nodded slowly. "I don't think Mandred has too much to worry about, especially if he captured a Renegade in the defense of an Outworlder." 

"Nobody does, but I hear they're laying bets. Besides, that's not exactly what happened." 

"I thought you were wheezing and missed it?" 

"I'd recovered by then." 

Melontra grinned. "I've got some stakes in on the sentence myself." 

Kyra laughed. 

"Hey, Kyra!" 

Kyra turned to see Coran and Falora heading her way. Coran was gorgeous as ever, and totally hers, and Falora was bouncing up and down like a child, grinning from ear to ear. All was well in the world. 

" S'up," she said to her fiance. 

"Nothing much," Coran replied, and his hands slipped around her waist. She leaned back against the rail, trying to get used to the public display of affection that had made her feel uncomfortable most of her life. She liked his hands there, just not in front of everybody, but she had promised she would try. "Did you get us good seats?" 

"Oh, the best," Kyra grinned. "We'll be sitting right behind the defendant." 

"Oh! Then we can make fun of him all through the trial!" Falora said excitedly. 

"Has anyone ever told you how squirrely you are?" Melontra said to her old friend with a mock-condescending bite. 

"All the time," Falora returned with an impish grin. Hell, the girl was _proud_. 

"We should sit down," Coran suggested. "They'll be starting soon." 

The girls agreed to this, so they marched back across the room and found their seats. Immilie was already there. Greetings were exchanged and then the trial began with Alfarian General Soronith calling for order. Kyra was startled when she was handed, of all things, a program. Flipping it open, she saw it was a recap of the Gundam War, including pictures of the gundams themselves, a brief profile on all the important people, including pictures of _them_, a recap of Mandred's profile and involvement on that world, and a rendition of Teleb's attack and how it was dealt with. 

"I thought trials were arranged to find out the truth," Melontra said, reading the rendition with an arched eyebrow. 

"But everyone believes _Mandred,_" Falora said cheerily. "And he pleaded guilty." 

"So this is like story-telling time," Melontra explained to herself with a voice tinged with sardonic amusment. "And if we _like_ the story, Mandred walks, and if we _don't_ like it, he gets punished." 

"Pretty much," Coran said dryly. 

Immilie groaned. "This is a _circus_." 

"But no one's doing any tricks," Coran countered. 

"We could always hire Trowa," Falora suggested. "And I can tumble." 

"Tumble him or perform by yourself?" Kyra asked insidiously. Falora made a face at her. 

"I love Alfarians," Melontra said to no one in particular, laying her program on her lap and looking straight ahead. "They bring joy to my sad, pathetic life." 

"That's nice," Kyra said in an upbeat tone. "Real nice. Oh, stop whining, Immilie. This was your idea, remember? Everything will be fine. _Kiayne_ is judging. She loves Mandred." 

"I don't whine. And Kiayne has a twisted sense of humor," Immilie said. "And I didn't know there would be this many people." 

"They auctioned off the last few seats," Melontra supplied in her most casual tone. 

Immilie sighed. 

"It just means he's popular," Melontra whispered with mock sympathy. 

By this point, everybody trying to maintain a serious expression bubbled with laughter. 

"Ohhhhh! Here he comes!" Falora said from the other side of Melontra, repeatedly slapping the Elven woman's shoulder. Melontra looked at her without expression. Falora didn't notice. 

But she was right. The audience was seated, the buzz had died to a low murmur and in a window of silence Mandred walked in from a door on the left of the stage. He was met by General Soronith as soon as he entered the room and was escorted respectfully to the defendant's table. His eyes swept the crowd as he turned to face the room, and was met by unblinking silence. 

A lone voice cheered. 

A second later the entire room erupted in a roar of applause. Before Kyra knew it, there was a standing ovation, and whistles and shouts reverberated from wall to wall. She shared a look with Coran and he grinned, twisting to look back at the crowd. Immilie sat primly, chin lifted, hands in her lap, but her eyes gleamed with something like pride. 

"Just really popular," Melontra repeated, crossing her arms and kicking her feet up to the back of the chair in front of her. 

"Way to go, Mandred!" Falora cheered as Mandred sat at the defendant's table only fifteen feet or so in front of them. He twisted around to look at them, a peculiar look in his eye. 

Mandred swept his gaze over the crowd. "They're all going to turn on me, aren't they?" he hypothesized suspiciously to himself. 

"They're unpredictable," Kyra said. "But I don't think you have too much too worry about. It's not like you're not a Renegade." 

"No," Mandred said. "That I am not." 

Kyra realized she'd put a serious note to the conversation and berated herself silently for spoiling the mood. 

"How did Teleb's trial go?" Falora whispered suddenly in a hushed, subdued tone. Her face was more child-like than usual. 

"He took The Remedy," Mandred said quietly. Falora lowered her eyes and played with her hands. 

"Who did it?" Coran asked. 

"Quenden," Mandred said. 

Coran whistled. "_Ouch_. I'm surprised. Teleb was one of the nicer ones." 

"Is," Mandred corrected. 

"He survived?" Coran said, and sat back in thoughtful silence, "...wow." 

Mandred nodded. "If it hadn't involved me and my relationship with Heero and his with Relena, Quenden probably wouldn't have taken it. But we've known each other a long time. And we Masters have grown close since we returned." 

Quenden was the Master Cleric, so of course he was good. 

"Teleb's here today actually," Immilie said. "I saw him when I spoke to Ranlath. He's with Quenden right now." 

Kyra said nothing. She had attended Teleb's trial, and other Renegade trials. Renegades entered the courthouse arrogant and usually left arrogant. It was the judgment that tamed them, the actual carrying out of the sentence. Some who had seen or heard of the effects of judgment never even made it to court. They committed suicide on capture or in the time of holding before the trial. Few people were happy when that happened. The wise wanted Renegades to take The Remedy, though it left everyone with an obligation. 

The Remedy wasn't used until the first of the Renegade Trials, so the Renegades didn't know about it, or didn't understand it. When they were captured, they often heard about it, and the word had since spread. Indeed, they were told in detail what it was during their trial, but they rarely understood it. They thought it was a punishment for their bad deeds, an eye-for-an-eye treatment of what they had done to their victims, or some sort of counseling session, both which only amused them. But it was neither. 

The Remedy could not be performed by anybody. It could only be done by Clerics, Saints of God, and it didn't always matter if they were even Alfarian. Denla Avenel had done it once, and she was human. But it was usually done by Alfarians simply because the reaction could be dangerous to mortals, whereas Alfarians could protect themselves. It was also a courtesy to Renegades to be treated by an Alfarian stronger than them, for Renegades believed they were better than mortals for being what they were, and The Remedy had a better effect if their arrogance was indulged in the beginning. 

"Are you going to tell Heero and Relena?" Falora asked Mandred. "They were most hurt by Teleb." 

"They wouldn't understand," Mandred said. "They would think it an injustice that he was not killed." 

"He would like to be," Immilie added. "He begged for death several times but was unable to kill himself." 

"He knew that before he agreed to it," Mandred said. "He was told that others would be prevented from taking his life. He scoffed. They all do." 

Kyra looked at the ground. Renegades that better understood The Remedy killed themselves before trial. After the process was completed, suicide was difficult. Some had gone mad after, others that were already suspected to be mad regained sanity. If it was bad enough, they sometimes did kill themselves, usually in a frenzy of self-horror, but if they survived until the end, suicide was almost beyond comprehension. And Teleb had survived. As Coran had said, he was one of the nicer ones. 

"How's he doing now?" Kyra asked. She had heard of only two cases of recovery, and only one in excess, but there were a few like Teleb. 

"Surprisingly well, I hear," Mandred said thoughtfully. "He got a taste of his own medicine when I fought him before. He thought he was prepared, but of course, he misunderstood. Even so, I think knowing first hand what he did to Relena felt like helped him get through it. Even so, he doesn't speak to anyone but Clerics." 

"You did to him what he did to Relena?" Falora said, leaning over the chair. "That's not like you, Mandred." 

"It wasn't nearly so bad," Mandred said. "I said I gave him a taste of it, but I hate to see needless suffering. It was not even enough to disable him." 

"Hmm," Coran said. "That's what most people would want, though." 

"The basest of human desires," Immilie said in a low voice. "Like witch trials and capital punishment. Good people who feed off of the suffering of others, whether good or evil, is a hellish instinct. And yet in every age and every society we see it. People who feel wronged do worse to those who wronged them and feel justified. They watch death and torture with a sense of entertainment, and teach their children that such a thing is righteous." 

Kyra nodded. She'd known someone who once went to see a man on Death Row get electrocuted. Her friend hadn't known him or the family he murdered, but even if she had, Kyra found it disgusting. It was not that she was against capital punishment; sometimes killing criminals was easier on everybody, but she didn't believe in making death a spectacle of entertainment, of encouraging feelings of hate. She didn't believe human beings were capable of distributing true justice. She'd rather they just deal death if they must and leave justice to God. 

The Remedy wasn't meant to be a punishment. It was meant to be a cure. 

But it was hard on more than just the Renegades. Those who went through it were called Renewed. Not all the Renewed had once been Renegades; they could be anybody, but it depended on the reaction of others whether or not any of them recovered completely. So it was hard on everyone. At worst, they had to be treated like children, allowed to start over, not like criminals, and that was the responsibility of everyone. If past deeds were not forgiven and forgotten, how could anyone recover and reenter society? But though such a thing may not have been possible for mortals, or at least difficult, to Alfarians it was easier. Grudges were pointless; there was too much life to waste time on them, and those who had lived long enough and took heed what they learned over the years were wise, and the wise knew mercy. It was mercy that children needed, and forgiveness, and acceptance and above all, love. Really, it was what anybody needed, but it was highly important to people with memories of a very different sort of existence. She didnt claim to fully understand it herself. She couldn't make the connection between the Renegades and the Renewed. They seemed like completely different people to her. 

Kyra turned around to see if she could spot Teleb in the crowd, but she could not even find Master Quenden. She would not be allowed to talk to him, she knew. Too complicated. 

"I think," Melontra interjected suddenly, "that we should have brought cheese and crackers as trial snacks." 

And suddenly the good mood was back. Nothing ruffled Melontra's feathers for long. 

"This isn't the _theater_," Immilie said in exasperation. "They've been doing this the whole time, Mandred," she said crossly. 

Mandred smiled at her. "Ah. Now who needs to lighten up, love?" He pointed at the crowd. "I believe Wushair has snacks." 

Kyra turned to look. 

Master Wushair sat on the other side of the room in the same row as Kyra and the others. Because they were in the front row, there was no one sitting in front of her. Not that it would have mattered to Wushair, but she had set a folding table before her knees, laid with a small plate loaded with several sorts of crackers and a variety of spreads. 

"Of course," Melontra said with dry practicality. "That's where I got the idea." 

Wushair was known for breaking social rules. She was a master like Mandred, Ranlath and Quenden, but she was more peculiar than all three. Her hair was like a flame sitting atop her head. It was translucent when the light hit it just right and even seemed to burn sometimes. Red with a pinkish overtone, like a manderin cherry, it always seemed to be reaching up into the sky instead of to the ground. It didn't stick straight up exactly, but it curled that way, like fire. Her coat was black and reached down to her calves, but it had a wide, flattened collar, was gathered in at the waist and open in the front. White silk lapels ran down either side of the front, scrolled with silver runes. Underneath her elaborate, magician-like coat, she wore a simple black tank top and skin-tight black pants that reached to her ankles and soft slippers. 

"If you cut off her pants and removed her coat, she's look a little like Heero," Falora said thoughtfully. 

"I bought him new clothes," Mandred said in his defense. 

"I picked most of them out," Immilie added. 

Melontra ignored the interjection of the Alfarian couple. "Aside from being a woman, having flaming hair and being in the wrong colors, I suppose," Melontra drawled. Falora sighed. 

Kyra grinned. Actually, Wushair dressed well. She was an intimidating individual; she just always looked out of place among other Alfarians because she completely ignored social stigmas, including fashion stigmas. Her coat was her own invention, or so she claimed, but it was not always her manner of dress that surprised people. Wushair talked like she was drunk all the time. She had lived alone for many years, by choice, researching the effects of enchanted areas for so long she'd forgotten she was an Alfarian and responded to anything that implied being a magical being, including witch. Apparently she had been known as one for many years when she lived elsewhere. Her social skills were worse than Heero's, not because she lacked in confidence, but because she had spent so much time with creatures that communicated more with emotion and thought and less with words. She was also used to conducting her research in an efficient, non-lenlient manner. Her policy was to sweep in, do whatever she wanted, and leave things in the exact state she had left them. Had her subjects known her policy, it wouldn't have been so bad, but Wushair didn't communicate well, and the result was subjects terrified as she conducted her surveys. She'd been brought to trial for the cause of trauma more often than all the other Masters combined. 

Wushair turned suddenly to stare at them and they all flushed in embarrassment, sinking in their chairs. Wushair, sitting far on the other side of the room, had somehow overheard them. Melontra didn't move. Mandred waved. Of course, Wushair was a Master of Effects, but the fact that she had heard them and they_ knew it_ was uncanny. 

Suddenly, there was a commotion from behind the stage. 

"Finally," Mandred said, turning around to sit stolidly at the defendant's table. 

"What?" Falora said, looking around. All conversation had ceased. 

"Kiayne," Coran whispered. "The Judge. The Trial is finally beginning." 

Kiayne was more of a social rule breaker than Wushair, which might have explained why the two became friends. Wushair was a Master, respected for her trade and age, but Kiayne was a Ruler, the equivalent of a Queen of a State, if such a thing existed. Yet whereas Wushair ignored social standards, perhaps without realizing it, Kiayne purposely toyed with them. When Her Honor walked out onto the stage, the room erupted in laughter. 

Kiayne was short and blonde--fairly human looking by those standards--but that wasn't why everyone laughed. The Ruler of Calanor wore a gigantic hoop skirt. It was pink, with ruffles and white bows, and there were strips cut out by her knees and ankles. Underneath it, tangerine tights flashed, covered in rolled yellow socks and very large shoes that gave several inches to her height. She was still short. Her shirt was long-sleeved and lime green, with sequins sewed along the collar line and marching down the arms. She also wore gloves, yellow like her socks, with huge pink bows on the wrists. She wore both gold and silver jewelry; her earrings reached her shoulders, and Kyra thought she spotted real diamonds in them. A tiara was pinned to her hair, a pink tiara, set with an emerald that matched her shirt, and her make-up was absolutely all the wrong shades for her skin tones. 

"Order in the Court!" Kiayne yelled before she even got to the judge's box. She stood on her tip toes, reached over and banged a stapler on the marble table. The wooden mallet lay untouched by her left hand. Quiet subsided, broken only by occasional coughing and snickers. Kiayne nodded and attempted to climb onto the judges' seat, but it was much to small for a skirt so enormously large. She paused as laughter started up again, turned about, and then took the skirt off, revealing the entire length of her tangerine tights and also a pair of black biker shorts. Glaring at the crowd, she heaved herself up into the judge's seat, clambering over the wood walls like a haystack, and settled herself quite comfortably, leaving the skirt in a heap on the floor. It was then that the audience noticed the stairs on the other side. Kiayne took a deep breath. "Now," she said in pleasant tones. "Who's case am I hearing today?" 

Before Mandred could open his mouth, the entire room answered for him. "Mandred!" with a few "Master Mandred" thrown in by some young enthusiasts. 

Kiayne sat up. "Ah," she said. "About time you got here. I had a bet that you would be brought in before Quenden, but I lost, so I might have to make you pay." 

A few people in the audience chuckled at the empty threat. Mandred looked unperturbed. Immilie shook her head with a smile. Kyra would have ventured that Immilie was in on that bet. 

"All right," Kiayne said, and put a pair of horn-rimmed glasses on her face. More chuckles. Alfarians did not have bad eyes. She fingered through a sheaf of papers on her desk, laid them aside, and opened the program. She read for a few seconds and then coughed. "Were you involved in this war, Mandred, knowing by the Prescripts that interference by an Alfarian in Outworlder conflicts is a direct violation as indicated in Article 4, verses 7 through 9, punishable by heavy fines, imprisonment, or penance determined by a member of the Council such as myself?" 

"No," Mandred said flatly. "I was not involved in the war." 

"Oh, never mind, then," Kiayne said, scanning her notes. More laughter. She flipped through the program. 

Kyra glanced at her own program. She wondered how these people would feel knowing they had complete and detailed profiles available to everybody in this courtroom. Who dug up all this stuff? 

"Then just what were you doing in this Outworld, Master Mandred?" Kiayne asked. 

"Researching space technology and robotics," Mandred replied. "Particularly the gundams, the like of which I had seen before. I wished to get a better look at their construction and fortification." 

Kiayne tapped her fingers on the desk. "Just how large are they?" she asked. 

"Very large," Mandred said dryly. 

"Larger than dragons?" Kiayne demanded. 

"They are larger than most the ones we have here, but I can not speak for all species." 

There was scattered murmuring, particularly among Alfarians who did little traveling, and among those who knew little of technology due to lack of interest. 

Kiayne looked unimpressed. "I see. So you inadvertently participated in the war?" 

"I fortified some of the Wing Gundam and supervised its construction," Mandred replied. "Mostly I worked on the cockpit to protect the pilot. It was the first of all of the gundams destroyed, so obviously I didn't do too much." 

"Ah," Kiayne said thoughtfully. "Probably not. Explain your relationship with this pilot." 

A hush descended over the room. Most had heard bits of the story, and some of it was printed in the program. Mandred spoke slowly and thoughtfully, with an air of wistful remembrance. "He was just a kid," he began, "maybe seven or eight when I first met him, and already haunted with shadows from the war. He was alone, angry, numb from fear and cold from hardship. Dr. J, Wing Gundam's maker, found him in the streets. He saw in him a lost kid with a kind heart to care for a cause and the hopelessness and determination necessary to pilot a gundam." 

"Hopelessness?" Kiayne prompted. 

"A gundam pilot has to be willing to die in order to master the suit. A pilot that hesitates will not be able to control it. It is like plunging from a cliff believing that God will catch you. To pilot a gundam, a person must be almost suicidal." 

"And this child..." 

"Heero had no sense of self-worth. He's been constantly discarded since his parents died and he was lost in the streets. He was found by an assassin and trained as an accomplice until that caretaker was killed. There was no recognized affection between them, but perhaps an unspoken fondness. At the assassin's death, Heero finished the last mission and disappeared again on the steets until he was picked up by Dr. J. He was offered the chance to pilot a gundam in defense of the colonies and the offer was accepted. Heero loved the colonies. He was aware of their plight, just not his own." 

"And did you interfere in this..." Kiayne flipped through her notes. "Operation Meteor?" 

"No, not directly," Mandred replied. "I was there only to observe, but Operation Meteor was a vile plan to threaten destruction of the Earth and then use the gundams to take it over. I was against it, but Dr. J and the other scientists were too, so my interference wasn't necessary. Control of the gundams was given to the pilots with only mission status from the scientists. They wanted the gundams to take down OZ. My interference was not with the war but with Heero himself. His training was hard for one so young, and I did not fully approve of it, but Heero seemed not to mind. I argued with Dr. J that it wasn't right to raise a boy with nothing to believe he is nothing and can do nothing but soldier, but Dr. J wouldn't listen. He assured me that Heero understood the situation and it was none of my business. I took it upon myself to try and nurture Heero as a human being, especially when I traced his past and found that I had known his mother briefly some years ago. For awhile he responded, but Dr. J thought my interference a distraction and stole him away. Heero was commanded to detonate the old compound with me in it. I knew it would happen, survived the blast unharmed and portaled my way out, but I could not find Heero for some years and he believed me quite dead." 

There was some shuffling in the backround, but no one spoke. 

"Please continue," Kiayne said. 

"I found Heero again during the war, but I did not interfere as the gundam pilots became spotlights figures. I hired Kyra and her Companions to track his movements and those of the people he was beginning to form relationships with. I thought by the end that perhaps he had recovered. There was a girl who cared very much for him, and I thought the feeling was returned. There were the other pilots his own age who respected him as a comrade and friend. He learned a few things throughout the war and stopped trying to destroy himself, but after the chaos he began to withdraw, and I began to doubt. So one day, when my work was finished, I came for him. I took him to the colonies to live with me and taught him what I could." 

"Did you use any magic on him?" Kiayne asked almost brightly. 

"Yes, some. I had already fortified him when he was a child. It was a permanent ward to last him through the war, but I removed it when he was with me. I didn't tell him. I also sought to open his mind a little to speed recovery. It would have taken years for him to trust me otherwise, and longer to believe anything I said. But I put no thoughts in his head that were not his own. I only made him more receptive to his own mind and heart." 

"Good," Kiayne said. "Because the other is forbidden, and a serious charge. Please continue." 

"It went well. I introduced him to Immilie. There was some confusion with transportation. She came to my house by Portal and I had to escort her out to avoid that detection. She rented a car later, which served for both of us. To take up my time when I was not with Heero I contacted Ranlath. He's always asking me to fortify his newest Relics. Falora carried messages between us." 

"All right, stop," Kiayne said. "Master Ranlath," she yelled out across the crowd. "Anything to offer?" 

Ranlath was sitting a few rows behind Kiayne with his arms crossed, but he nearly started in his seat, as much as someone like Ranlath started. "I had some things I needed done and Mandred offered to help while the kid was at school. I came out there a few times to look at the colonies. Very impressive, I must say. I warned Mandred that there were some Renegades tailing my activities. He warned Falora and I told Kyra and Coran when they came to see me later. Apparently, Coran and Falora had been in that world before, as they had heard that Teleb had relocated to the area. It is my understanding that he send some civilian assassin to stall and distract them. He succeeded. We didn't know if Teleb remained on that world or not, but before long, he caught on to Falora. I had her take some crystals and a diamond to Mandred to be fortified. He did so and sent her and them back to me. Teleb waylaid her, the jewels were lost during the encounter and picked up by some civilians. Mandred and I consulted and thought it would be wiser to send Falora after them alone. She went, was met unexpectedly by Duo Maxwell, but pulled off the mission anyway. She scared Teleb off, I believe because he thought Mandred, myself or both of us were with her," 

"I was tracking her," Mandred put in. "So he would have been right." 

"Let Ranlath finish, Mandred," Kiayne said pertly. Mandred smiled and sat back. 

"Anyway," Ranlath continued. He and Mandred were old friends, perhaps the oldest in the room. "Falora succeeded in reclaiming the crystals, but the diamond was shattered. The pieces were worthless." Only Ranlath would consider diamond fragments worthless. "I left the crystals in Mandred's keeping until the whole project could be completed. It took me awhile to hunt up another diamond of adequate size, but once I found one and fomatted it, I send it to Mandred via Coran Domared because I knew Falora was being watched. That was my last dealings with him until the diamond and crystals were returned to me just recently." 

"All right," Kiayne said. "Mandred, please continue the story." 

"Coran came to my home in the early spring," Mandred said. "He brought the diamond with him. I wanted to know the details of Teleb's last interference, so we talked about that a bit and lost track of time. Heero walked in on our conversation and we went upstairs to finish. Heero may have seen something when I tested the diamond's quality, but nothing that couldn't be passed off as a trick of the light. Heero went out to see his friend, Duo Maxwell, and I finished fortifying the diamond. Ranlath got impatient like he always does and sent Kyra to see what was taking so long. Heero came back when we were talking about whether or not we wanted to use the crystals as bait to lure in Teleb. We knew he was still out there. I didn't want to endanger Heero so I gave the crystals and the diamond to Kyra and Falora for safekeeping. I didn't want them in my house any longer." 

"But Teleb endangered Heero anyway?" Kiayne prompted. 

"Kyra couldn't get a hold of Ranlath and was stuck on Heero's world for awhile. Teleb somehow found out about Heero and began investigating all of his relations. I sent Immilie to Cinq to guard Relena in case he attacked her, but one day I sent Falora down there with a message. She ran into Teleb on Cinq Castle grounds and he attacked her with a decaying spell." 

Murmurs went up among the audience. Kyra wondered what Teleb thought of all of this. Immilie had said he was in the room. 

"She found Immilie with Relena Darilan in the Outworlder's office. Immilie managed to get Relena out of the room long enough to sustain Falora in order to get her to me, but it was a close call. Immilie is not much of a healer. Fortunately, she was in time and I restored Falora to full health without setbacks, but Teleb was growing more aggressive and that worried me. I gave Heero an alarm button Ranlath made just in case. It was a lucky thing I did." 

"When did Teleb strike next?" Kiayne asked. 

"We still couldn't get a hold of Ranlath," Mandred said. 

"I was engaged," Ranlath said dryly. 

Mandred ignored him, "so Kyra swung by my house to wait for me. She wanted to be portaled back to Elneira and let Ranlath pick his Relics up there, but before I came home, Teleb contacted Heero. He had taken Relena hostage, having discovered their relationship, and would trade her unharmed for the crystals." 

The room was silent now. 

"Kyra knew she wouldn't be able to locate me in time," Mandred continued, "but she found Falora and contacted Coran. She told Heero to promise Teleb anything he wanted. They were forced to bring Heero along, and Duo Maxwell followed Falora, recognizing her from their last encounter. The gundam pilots were probably the safest people to take on that world, but they weren't equipped to deal with Teleb." 

"Kyra," Kiayne said, stopping Mandred with a gesture. Kyra sat up in her chair in surprise. "Would you continue the story? I believe Mandred wasn't there for this part." 

Kyra shrugged. "Sure. Teleb had hired some Outworlders to test the gundam pilots and to see if any Alfarians would leap to their rescue, but Heero and Duo managed that on their own. At the meet, they traded the crystals for Relena, but then Falora was discovered and there was a lot of chaos. I was thrown into a wall, Falora was in convulsions, Coran was watching from the back. Then Relena seized the crystals from Teleb." More surprised murmurs. "Coran came to her rescue, giving Falora time to recover with a regeneration spell, but by the time they were out of options, Teleb came back. He tortured Relena until he had the crystals and left her to die. Then he went to finish off Falora. That's when Mandred showed up." 

"All right," Kiayne said. "Mandred?" 

"Falora had recovered enough to sustain Relena from death, but it took out all her strength," Mandred said. "I went after Teleb. He knew he couldn't beat me, but he tried to distract me long enough to escape. I singed him a little bit by the end, and was forced to stop and fix things as we went along to protect the humans inside, but eventually I managed to wear Teleb down. When Soronith arrived, unexpectedly, I sent the Renegade back to Elneira with him and used the interlude to relieve Falora. When I went back inside, Heero attacked me. He was upset that I had lied to him, that the girl he cared for was dying, so I comforted him and healed her. I would have done it anyway, even had he not begged me, but I knew that healing is a direct interference, and Immilie held me accountable." 

There was a long moment of silence. Kiayne tapped the marble. "This girl you saved did a brave thing and paid for it. You saved her because she didn't deserve to die and because you love the kid you adopted and he loves her." 

"Yes," Mandred agreed, though it hadn't been a question. 

There was another moment of silence. 

"I don't see how I can incarcerate you for that," Kiayne said at last. There was scattered cheering. Kiayne raised a hand to stall it. "I'm not done. I'm not going to declare you a criminal, Mandred, but you pleaded guilty, and even though Relena suffered due to Renegade evils, you still claim some responsibility for breaking Outworlder rules and healing her. Can you tell me why this is a rule, Mandred? Tell me why it is forbidden even to heal in Outworlds." 

"Because it is not our place," Mandred said. "Because to have so much power is both a blessing and a curse. We are capable of healing until we die, and each of us at some time has wanted to, but all the hurt in all the worlds can not be cured, even by us, and should we take that task upon ourselves we would go mad with trying." He shook his head. "Besides which, there is a reason for pain in the world, some kinds of pain, and as long as the world in its present format exists, pain will abide in it. Who can say what would happen if miracles became common place, if everyone expected always to be saved? Would they not be very vain indeed, and us haggard at trying to appease them for all time? It is an impossible task, and I believe that though our powers are a gift, they are not to be used indiscriminately, and thus we should stick to our own matters, and isn't that so much easier if there are rules? Besides which, we are not to be known in Outworlds. People are afraid and scornful of what they do not understand, even if it is to their benefit." 

"Well spoken," Kiayne said at long last, nodding. "I leave it to the jury. Cheer for aquitted, boo for punishment." 

Cheers reverberated around the room, overwhelming any boos. Mandred got a second standing ovation. 

"Seems the people like you," Kiayne said. "But I'm not done. You still broke a rule, so you have a penance. Because there was Renegade involvement, I might have let you off if you were inexperienced or the Council was contacted first, but this is not the case. So here is your penance: I want you to go back to this Heero of yours and make sure he sees that girl." There was more cheering and scattered laughter. Mandred looked incredulous. Kiayne looked smug. "We all know how long it's taken _you_ and he doesn't have that kind of time." More laughter. "More seriously," Kiayne continued, "I want you to contemplate what you just told me for one week, using not a breath of magic to do anything, and then spend a second week trying to heal all the hurts in the world you were living on. You won't be able to do it and it will break your heart, but it will do some good. People need miracles once in awhile. Just don't let anyone know you, and don't impersonate yourself as a god or angel." 

Silence. 

Mandred nodded, though. "Interesting. I see why you are a respected Ruler." 

"I may look like an idiot," Kiayne said, leaning forward, "but I know my business. My father ruled before me. I learned everything I know from him." Kiayne looked out over the crowd. "Any objections to my ruling?" 

Raised hands were promptly ignored. 

"I just lost a small fortune!" someone shouted, but this one small voice was overwhelmed in a positive response of cheers and stamping of feet. 

Kiayne waved. "You're free to go, Mandred," she said with a smile. "Good luck." 

Everyone got up and voices filled the room once more. The trial had taken a total of twenty minutes. 

"That's an interesting sentence," Melontra said soberly. "I could not imagine ever attempting it on Krathia." 

"Your world is a mess," Mandred said. "It is a hard sentence, and perhaps it will hurt me deeply, but as Kiayne said, it will do some good, and even I will learn from it. There is a lot of hurt from that war, and I can be an aid to soothe it." 

"I'm proud of you," Immilie said to him softly, leaning down to caress his face. "And I know this will be more painful than you let on. I will come with you if you let me." 

He turned to her with gratitude. "I would like for you to be there, love, but you can't help me in this task." 

"I will hold you up," she said, "when it feels that you might break." 

He took her hand, kissed it and nodded. She climbed over the rail to stand close beside him. 

"Are you going to tell Heero about your sentence, Mandred?" Kyra asked. 

"No, I don't think so. He probably wouldn't understand. I have a week to relax and visit with him before I begin my task. Perhaps when it is over I can tell him, but I can't have him worrying about me before." 

Immilie smiled up at him and he stroked her hair as she leaned against him. "I always worry," she murmured under his chin. "But I will be there with you." 

He smiled at her. "When I am through," Mandred said. "I may have to spend some time with Quenden." 

"Will it be that bad?" Coran interjected. 

"I suspect so," Mandred said. "There will be so much I can't fix, and healing is a Cleric's business. They have a license for this thing I must do. Besides, Quenden is a friend. He will understand. I should be all right in the long run, but it will be a tough week. Still, this penance is about what I expected." 

"Well, I'm tired," Falora said. "And suddenly glad I can't heal a lick." 

Kyra choked out a laugh. She had been feeling bitter-sweet, almost melancholy. "And I'm glad I'm human and incapable of any fancy magic what-so-ever. Sort of. I can still see the benefits." 

"One day there will be a new world," Mandred said softly, "When you too will be immortal, but already you are capable of great things." 

"And I do them all the time," Kyra agreed. "But I won't be taking tasks from you for at least two weeks. I might as well bug Ranlath or take a vacation." 

"Actually," a new voice said, and Kyra turned to see Wushair standing beside them. She just...appeared there. "I have something you could do for me. Are you familiar with the flesh eating flowers of Aberaji?" 

_What_? Kyra blinked. "No," she said flatly, almost curtly. "And I'm not sure I want to be." 

"I'll take on the flesh eating flowers," Coran said. Kyra glared at him. _No_...! a voice in her head whined. She wanted to spend some time with him. "Oh, come on, baby," Coran said in that half-joking way of his. "It will be fun." 

Kyra sighed. Well, alone with Coran on Aberaji was as good as anywhere else she supposed. Still, doing things for Wushair was always more troubled than it was worth. "Well, Mandred," she said. "I guess this is goodbye for now. You'll be a free man in two weeks." 

Mandred laughed at her. "I will look you up if I need anything." 

Kyra shrugged. "Wouldn't mind in the least. Those gundam pilots were good sports." She smiled at Coran and then turned to Wushair. "What do you want us to do?"   


The End.   


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That's the end of the weirdest trial "fic" ever. Any questions, comments, complaints, compliments (I really like compliments). Please send all your correspondence to zapenstap@yahoo.com and remember that every idea in this fic is copyrighted by ME (minus the GW stuff) and you will be imprisoned and tortured if you steal them. Mwa ha ha. Oh, there's also sort of an afterward with Heero and Relena and Heero's new family, and since this is the sort of fic that could go on forever if I felt like extending it, possibilites are always open. But the effort would require reviews... ^_~ 


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